When I think of you
by SilverSpark101
Summary: Six years later, and here he was, sitting in her room bloody and bruised. He shouldn't be here. They're after him. But that didn't stop her from loving him all over again.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: hey guys! This is my first fanfiction so please go a little easy on me. My work may not be that great so i hope you dont mind. The story takes place after the end of the manga, but you might need to finish watching the anime to understand some of the plot. So anyway, lets begin the story!**

 **Disclaimer: SilverSpark101 does not own Shugo Chara or any of the characters.**

 **Chapter 1: Forgotten  
**

* * *

 _"I promise, wherever I go, whatever distance that separates us... I will come back for you. And when you grow up and become an adult, I promise I'll come back and find you"_

* * *

His words echo through her mind as if it was a piece of paper stuck under her shoe. What could she do? She knew it wasn't true. He wouldn't come back for her. But there was still a reason it was so hard to remove him from her mind. The reason why she still had a spark of hope lingering on in her heart.

He text's her.

Every. Single. Day.

His words that he sends her in a small screen were enough to send a slightest smile to her face. That was enough for her. Even though he never called, she was relieved, because she knew that if she heard his voice again, all the pain would come back to her. And she very well knew that she wouldn't want that. She had enough of the strings that were pulling her heart back and forth.

She sighed as she got up from her very pink bed and walked to the bathroom to brush her teeth.

If this was a months ago, Ran, Miki, and Suu would be arguing about who was more important. But now the mini red, blue, and green headed chara's no longer existed in her life. Although, she knew that they were here with her, watching over her, and caring for her even if she couldn't see them or talk to them again.

She walked out of the bathroom after taking a _very_ long shower and picked up the clothes she was going to wear for school. Honestly, she didn't care what she wore. But she had to make it look like she gave it at least _some_ effort or else her friends would worry. She had to put a fake smile on her face every day. Even if it was hurting deep inside her, She needed to keep up this façade. She didn't need her friends pity or sorrow.

 _Friends._

Are they even worth to be called that? Did they care that much about her to see through this crooked character she puts up for them?

She shook her head and sighed as she grabbed her backpack and left the room.

As she walked downstairs, she could hear parents mumbling about taxes and how they should sort the mail. Her little sister, Ami, was sitting in the living room playing with her half broken doll that she got for her birthday last year.

She shivered as she looked at the hairless, one-eyed doll. Her sister adored that damn doll like it was her life.

"Onee-chan gave it to me, so its special!" She would say. I admired that about her. She wouldn't look at the flaws and scars that it had but would look at the things that were most important. It's surprising that we're even siblings.

"I'm heading out now mom!" I called out as I was making my way out the door.

"Okay honey, make sure you're back before dinner!" My mom said.

The way to school was even more lonelier than it was before. With each passing day she had spent enough times alone to notice things she hadn't before. Like how you could see the grass peaking through the cracks of the broken sidewalks. Or how the leaves of the tree's around her neighborhood was beginning to turn the slightest bit of red and orange in preparation for autumn.

"Hinamori-san!" Someone called from behind her. She turned around, recognizing the blond headed boy in front of her.

"Ohaiyo, Tadase." She said with her firm static words, hoping that he wouldn't notice the melancholy tone in her voice.

"Want to walk to school together?" He had said with his 'princely' grin.

 _No,_ she thought. _I don't._

"Sure," she smiled. "Why not?"

What else could she have said? She can't just reject him and be on her merry way. That would make things ten times worse.

As they make there way towards the front of the school she could her the laughter of the students and their friends all around her. She envied them. They could run around and smile so carefree, not care about the words other people say to them that insulted them.

But, then again, she was happy that she wasn't able to laugh easily and be as care free as the rest of them.

Because that who she was,

Hinamori Amu.

* * *

It's been a year since he left.

He had stopped texting her.

In all truth, she had expected this. She knew that he would eventually get tired of her. He could have any girl he wanted. Heck, he was traveling all over the world pete's sake! He had to have met _someone._

 _Why do I care?_ The thought ran through her.

That was a stupid question.

Of course she knew why she cared if he goes running into another women's arms and left her.

She loved him.

And that was obvious.

It was obvious when he first left. It was obvious during the many hours of crying the first night of his departure. It was obvious through the months of heartache she had endured. And its obvious even now.

But no matter how much she hoped that he would come back to her and embrace her. She knew..

She knew that even though she could cry for days, weeks, and months, he wouldnt come back.

She knew that even if she kept sending him texts and emails, he wouldnt reply.

And most of all,

She knew that she would eventually be,

 _Forgotten._

* * *

 **A/N: So yeah. That was the first chapter to my first fanfiction. I know that was VERY short for the first chapter but trust me the chapters are gonna get longer as the story goes on. I'm gonna try to update as soon as I can, but I'm hoping to get at least 5 reviews before I post chapter 2. Thank you so much for your support and I hope you guys read and review!**

 **Yours truly,**

 **SilverSpark101**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Hey Guys. Here's chapter 2, and thank you so much for the reviews! This update was posted later than I had hoped for, but I hope you guys don't mind! The chapter mainly focuses on Amu during her time when she was a senior. Hope you like it.**

 **Disclaimer: SilverSpark101 does not own Shugo Chara or any of the characters.**

 **Chapter 2: Lies  
**

* * *

 _Hinamori Amu: 17_

 _Senior year in High school_

* * *

She shivered as she felt the icy chill of the winter wind blow across her face. Christmas was coming. A holiday where families and friends to gather together to celebrate a day of presents and laughter. For many people, Christmas is one of the most joyous times of the year.

But not for her.

She would much rather love to sit at home all day and watch movies until this dreadful holiday was over.

Digging her hands in her pocket, she huffed as she seated on a bench closest to her, taking a peek at her watch. She was waiting.

Waiting for who, you ask?

Her boyfriend.

Now I know what your thinking. No, it's not Tadase. Back in the beginning of freshman year, he had asked her to be his girlfriend. The boy was rejected by the pink headed girl. She couldn't return his feelings. Not when she loved someone else.

But that person had left her. Oh, so many years ago.

Then, during sophomore year. She had enough. She didn't want to be held back by the aching pain in her heart.

She wanted to move on.

That's when she ran into Shintani Kyoya.

The blond headed, green eyed boy that had helped ease her strain in her heart.

They had met when she was walking out of the local cafe when he had accidentally spilled coffee on her jacket. He had offered to pay for the dry cleaning but she refused the offer. They headed their separate ways until they met again in school. She figured out that he had just moved here a week ago and joined the school. He began to talk to her more often when no one else dared to go near her.

After a couple of months, the two had become closer together. Little by little she was breaking out of her solid shell that she had many years ago.

Then one day while they were walking back home from school he asked her.

 _Will you go out with me?_

It was a simple question.

But not one where she would want to give the answer to.

She cared for him, yes. But she didn't love him. She never even thought of him in a romantic way. He was just a really close friend to her.

 _I want to move on._

That was what she wanted the most. So she said yes. To make him happy. And she hoped that one day, that she too, would fall for him and think of him like the way he thinks of her.

But no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't love him. Not even when he rejected the many girls that had asked him out after they started going out. Not even when he had given so many things to her for special occasions. And not even when he said he loved her.

Her mind was still lingering on to a blue headed cat boy.

* * *

She was mad.

No. She was furious.

It's been one _freaking_ hour and he still hadn't showed up.

You can't just tell a girl to meet you somewhere in the middle of the night and leave her in the god damn snow.

She sighed as she picked up her phone and dialed his number.

"Hello? Amu-" A voice answered, but she cut it off.

"Where the hell are you? I've been sitting here for so long and you haven't showed up yet. I'm getting tired of this Kyoya-kun." She said, clearly annoyed.

"Look, I'm really sorry Amu-chan. My boss told me that i had to work an extra 2 hours today because of the decrease in employees lately. I didn't get a chance to call you because he took up my cellphone. I only got it back a few moments a go." he replied.

 _What a coincidence._

"It's okay. Just-" she sighed, "just try to tell me before hand okay?"

"I will, I promise." Kyoya said.

"I'll meet you back at our apartment later today, okay? I'm gonna pick up some stuff for dinner." She spoke with a small shiver.

"Okay, I'll see you then" he said in a hurry then cut the phone.

She was confused by the sudden good-bye but decided to ignore it.

If your wondering, they had decided to move in together. She was unsure about it first but agreed to it after some thought. She couldn't live with her parents forever. She was 18 and about to leave high school. She needed to find her own place eventually.

However, just a few months ago, Kyoya had begun to come home later at night than usual. At some times, he didn't even come home when she was about to go to sleep. She thought nothing of it at first, but things started to get a little more... how do you say.. unusual?

He stopped answering her calls often and would distance himself whenever she would ask why. Whenever they go on dates he would barely look at her and he would often leave to room for a 'business' phone call.

Of course she had suspicions of cheating, but the thoughts were washed away a minute after.

She trusted him.

She trusted him enough to know that he wouldn't do those kind of things.

They had a strong relationship. She knew that. And she wasn't willing to give up on that now.

After a while, she stood up from the bench she was sitting in and made her way to the nearest grocery store.

* * *

She brought up the key to the apartment but froze when she heard something.

Groaning?

She slowly twisted the knob and made her way inside. She heard it again, it was becoming louder. It was from his room.

She opened the door and nearly collapsed from shock at what she saw in front of her.

Kyoya and another girl, in his bed. Him on top. Her on the bottom. Both without any clothes on, bare skin showing very clearly. They both turned around to see who had opened the door. The shocked faces lit in their face almost instantly when they saw the pink headed girl before them. The boy sat up on the bed, making sure to cover himself before speaking.

"Amu-chan I-" He started but was cut off by a very murderous aura.

She was disgusted.

"Don't." She said as she lifted up her hand to stop him from speaking any further. "How long?"

"What?"

"How. Fucking. Long." Her voice was firm. But she was trying her best to make sure she didn't stutter.

"3 months." His eyes looking wary.

She smirked. She _smirked._

"You know I'm not surprised." Her attitude changed, just like it did in elementary school. Her 'Cool and Spicy' character.

Kyoya's eyes widened, a confused look written all over his face.

"How long did you think I wouldn't notice the sudden change in you? Did you think I couldn't tell the lies that you've told me? The sudden 'business' calls, coming home at freaking 1am at night, not even looking at me in the fucking eye, Do you think I'm an idiot?!" Her voice was rising through each word she went through. Her eyes landed on the very terrified looking girl in the bed.

"And _you."_ pointing at the ginger headed girl. "I hope you're happy with this bastard, because you can have him."

She grabbed her bag and made her way toward the door, stopping just before she left.

"And Kyoya," She said without turning around, "Don't expect me to come back. I'm done with you."

Her final words echo through his head before she left the room.

Before she left his life.

Forever.

* * *

 **A/N: Sort of a cliffhanger but oh well. I'm planning on updating every other day, but don't get your hopes up. I'm very busy with summer homework from school but I am willing to write for the sake of the story. So i hope you all could bare with me. Anyways, I'll update as soon as I can!**

 **Please Read and Review!**

 **Yours Truly,**

 **SilverSpark101**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: I am so so sorry that i havent been updating that often. I was on vacation in Great Britain to visit my relatives and we are usually busy everyday. But, I finally had a chance to finish the third chapter. Now, before I start ranting on about my life problems, here is chapter 3.**

 **Disclaimer: SilverSpark101 does not own Shugo Chara or any of the characters.**

 **Chapter 3:** _ **Did You Miss Me?**_

* * *

 _"I will make you fall in love with me, so prepare yourself."_

* * *

Amu sighed as she bit off some of her turkey sandwich in her hand. The bench she was sitting on was thorny and wearisome.

Tomorrow was her graduation. And she couldn't be more overjoyed.

She was finally able to leave this retched place and was given the opportunity to study abroad in America.

Finally, she was given a chance to leave these sorrowful memories of torture and start a new life without any images of a blue haired boy popping up in her mind. Although she knew it would be difficult, she was willing to try.

While her mind was wandering, she heard the school bell indicating that lunch was over. She threw her wastes in the garbage and walked back into the hell hole they call a school.

Walking through the giddy hallways she could hear all voices go dim as they noticed the pink haired girl in their presence. She rolled her eyes. This situation is not rare in her case. It was a frequent thing that happened to her. The silent agreement was understood between her and the students.

They don't talk to her and she doesn't talk to them.

But, this time it was different.

She could her the low murmurings within the crowd as she passed by. They were quiet, but not quiet enough to pass by her cat like ears.

 _"...is that true? Did she really do that?..."_

 _"Everyone is talking about it now... it has to be."_

 _"...she's looks like the person who would do that..."_

Amu let out a frustrated growl. They were at it again. The fictitious and fabricated rumors that spread through the school about her. She should be used to the constant statements that they throw at her. But the persistence of it was making her feel irritated and miffed.

Ignoring the glares and the glances of the inquisitive students, she walked into her classroom and strolled to the back of the class and sat in her beloved window seat.

As class began, she noticed how the other students were going back into there regular routine. The teacher was talking to the class about something and she glanced at her classmates who were writing down notes in their spirals.

Not that she cared though.

She never listened to the teacher or wrote down notes. She was never interested in the lectures and speeches that were given. But she was smart. No one knew that she studies in her spare time and was able to pass tests and quizzes with high scores. But she never tried hard enough to be put in the top 10 students list which were posted up in her class every month. She knew that if she did her best she would've been able to be up there, but then the students would start to be curious of how a quiet, bad ass girl could be so smart.

And we wouldn't want that, now would we?

* * *

To her surprise, she had got through the school day much faster than she was used to. Her eagerness for graduation is probably affecting her a little _too_ much. But then again, she had no problem with it.

As she slung her backpack over her shoulders, she grabbed her books and walk out the front door of the school.

While she was walking, another student collided on her with full force. With a flash of surprise she was knocked down to the floor and her head was impacted on the solid concrete. She groaned in pain as she put her hand to her head.

"Watch where you're going, idiot." She said coldly.

"I'm so sorry!" The boy said in a tone of worry, "...Amu?"

As she looked up to face the man who had basically tackled her down, she was surprised to see a face she knew all too well.

"Amu, are you okay?" The green eyed boy asked her as he fixed his messy blond hair.

"What do you want, Kyoya?" She glared at him with a dark expression.

"I was just asking if your okay."

"I am, now get out of my way." Amu instructed as she pushed passed him and started walking away.

"Wait!" He lunged forward and grabbed her arm to stop her from leaving.

"Don't fucking touch me." Amu said calmly with a hint of anger in her voice, knowing that if she spoke any louder, he would notice the unsteadiness in her tone. She snatched her hand away from him as she kept on walking. "I told you to leave me the hell alone."

"I still love you."

She stopped dead in her tracks. Turning around, she faced him with a dead expression and laughed.

"You humor me." She smirked. "It's ironic how you have the decency to tell me that you love me when just a couple of months ago, you cheated on me with your co-worker in our own god damn apartment!"

"I told you it was an accident!" Kyoya pleaded with her.

"An _accident_? I'm not a fool, Kyoya. You were perfectly sober under the circumstances, you had a choice to continue or stop it when it just began." She narrowed her eyes at him. "No matter how long or how much you plead with me, I will _never_ go back to you."

She turned around and walked away from him, glancing at the crowd that had developed around them as they spoke. The witnesses stood there, dumbfounded at what had just occurred.

This was another one of Shintani Kyoya's many attempts to acquire the forgiveness of Amu. But, just as the last time, the proclamation of regret from the blond was not enough for her to accept and forgive what had happened to her.

Nevertheless, Kyoya repeatedly kept trying to win her over. Once again, the persistence of these situation was beginning to annoy her.

But she was ecstatic to know that in just a day, he would be thousands of miles away from her.

She would never have to see him again.

* * *

The park at night was a pleasure for the eyes to see. The lights they had places on the trees reflected off the fountain water creating such a wonderful sight.

She always comes here when she feels stressed, overjoyed, angry, or any overpowering emotion. Because this was the place that calmed her. It was the place where she knew that no one would be watching her or judging her.

It was also a place that reminded her of _him_.

Even if she was never going to see him again, even if she would never hear his voice to her ears in a lifetime, she would have a part of him with her.

That's all she needed, and she was genuinely happy.

As she sat on the bench that she sat on so many years ago, she noticed the ice cream stand just a few feet away. She smiled. Memories rushing back to her.

 _It won't hurt if I just get one, right?_

She walked up to the stand and glanced at the flavors.

"One small chocolate, please." She asked as she handed him the money. The man gladly accepted the cash and handed her the cone of ice cream.

She strolled back to her bench and sat down, taking a couple of licks along the way.

In just one day all of the things she hated the most would disappear before her eyes. In one day she would be taking a plane to America and be studying abroad.

In one day, she would be free.

She would be free of the memories, free of the pain in her heart, free of the deadly glances of the hateful students. Her family was sorrowful of her choice to be so far away, but supported her decision.

That's when she noticed an uninvited tongue on the opposite side of her ice cream. She gasped as the ice cream dropped from her hands and she swiftly turned to look at the intruder of her personal space.

That's when everything stopped.

Her eye's widened.

Her jaw dropped.

Her heart stopped.

She stared at the midnight blue haired presence in front of her and was in a state where none could describe. Her breath was held in as she stared at his sapphire blue eyes, stuttering to get the words out of her mouth.

"I-Ikuto?" Her voice was barely above a whisper, but was enough for the boy in front of her to hear.

"Yo," he smirked, "did you miss me?"

* * *

 **A/N: Yup. It's a cliff hanger. The moment has final come where Ikuto and Amu meet again! I'm hoping for them to interact more throughout the next chapter but I'm not sure yet. Anyways, I'm not going to be able to update often the next 2 weeks but that doesn't mean i wont update at all. I hope you guys read and review and thank you so much for your support!**

 **Yours Truly,**

 **SilverSpark101**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Okay, now I know what you're thinking, but i have a perfectly good explanation for the lack of updates. I didn't have wifi for a week at my house so I wasn't able to update anything. But to make up for it, I made a long chapter just for you guys. It was so hard to come up with the conversation between Amu and Ikuto for their meeting, but I managed to do it. Oh, by the** **way, don't** **expect Amu to be so... how do you say... forgiving? Anyways, enough of my spoilers, I'll let you read for yourself.**

 **Disclaimer: SilverSpark101 does not own Shugo Chara or any of the characters**

 **Chapter 4: _Expectations_**

* * *

 _"I also have something to tell you. I've already given in. Because,_

 _I love you."  
_

* * *

In all truth, he hasn't changed much.

Still the same midnight blue hair.

The same sapphire eyes that will make you stare in awe.

And, oh, don't forget that smirk. You can't miss that smirk.

You can notice the growth in his height, the deeper tone in his voice, and the light, but still visible, beard that he has grown. He was a fine man. His appearance wasn't the only thing that was shocking though.

It took a moment for Amu to realize what was going on.

 _He's here._

But no matter how many times she repeated that phrase, she still couldn't believe it.

He had his violin case swung over his shoulder, a hand in the pocket of his stylish black coat and that trademark catty smirk on his face. He was looking at her with that intense sapphire gaze of his that set free the flock of butterflies in her stomach.

"Well?" he urged her after they spent a couple of long minutes just standing there looking at each other. " _Some_ kind of reaction would be considerate about now," he stated with a slight chuckle.

But Amu was still frozen to the spot. She had lost control of her lower jaw at some point and it hung open and loose. Her hands had fallen limp by her sides in astonishment and she was still trying to decide whether she was daydreaming or if he was really there, right in front of her, just a few steps too far for her liking.

"How are- When did- What- Where-" Amu stuttered, clearly baffled by his presence.

He cut her off by grabbed her arm, pulling her to him and embracing her.

"I've missed you," He whispered in her ear, " _so_ much."

A hot shade of pink rushed to her cheeks. This was too much for her. Too much for her own good. So she did what she thought she should do. The only thing that she _can_ do.

She ran.

Her bag dropped from her shoulders and fell to the ground as collected all of her energy, she shoved Ikuto off of her, causing him to unsubtly be thrown backwards and land on the grass.

Sprinting with all her might, she left a very confused blue headed cat boy behind her.

"Well, I wasn't expecting _that_." He murmured to himself while shoving his hands into his ragged pockets.

* * *

This certainly was a problem.

She sighed while closing her bedroom door and sliding into the comfort of her own bed.

Seeing Ikuto only confirmed her feelings. She knew that she loved him- so much that it hurt- but it scared her.

Talking to Ikuto again was always a 'what if' problem. It was something she longed for in her dreams but never expected it to become a reality. He most definitely _had_ to have someone better while traveling around the whole freaking planet.

But now, he had come back. And she wasn't sure if she was the reason he had come back.

It was reality that she didn't know how to handle well.

There were so many feelings that she wanted to express, so many things that she wanted to tell him, but she is well informed with the fact that she doesn't know how _he_ feels.

She was confused and nerve wrecked at the events at the airport many years ago.

Did he really love her?

Or was it just his teasing?

Either way, she wasn't ready to deal with it all just yet.

But that's when she heard a faint knock on her balcony door.

Her heart skipped a beat. She knew only one person was capable enough to come to her balcony and knock at her door in the middle of the night.

She hesitantly rushed up to the blinds and pulled it aside to be face to face with the person she really dreaded to see right at this moment.

Ikuto slid the door inside and walked into the room he has not set foot in for what felt like decades, ignoring the well confused and suprised Amu beside him. He glanced around, taking in the pink colored room around him, only to meet the gaze of the shocked girl in his vision.

"You know, _Amu"_ He said, emphasizing her name, "you still are the same kid that I saw six years ago." Then he smiled. A _genuine_ smile.

To say that Amu was shocked was an understatement.

She was bewildered.

"W-what are you doing here?" Amu managed to get out, only to have her voice come out cracked and hoarse.

What _was_ he doing here?

"Aw, does my little Amu not want me to be here?" he said pouting.

She feel her cheeks burn with embarrassment at his sudden mood change.

"T-that's n-not what I-" She stuttered not knowing how he was suddenly was able to make her feel so _vulnerable_.

And she didn't like it at all.

She needed to suck it up.

Regaining her posture she asked again with a much firmer voice.

"I said, what the hell are you doing here?" She sent daggers at his direction.

Ikuto was taken aback. But the surprise on his only lasted in Amu's vision for a second before he went back to his smug attitude.

"Tea." he said.

Now it was Amu's turn to be taken aback.

"What?" She questioned, confused at the sudden remark.

Ikuto walked his way over to her bent down to her level, his face inches away from hers. She had never felt more claustrophobic than she did at that moment. The red blush had splattered on her face but she didn't move away.

"Make me some tea, _then_ I'll tell you." he simply stated.

Her jaw dropped. He wasn't serious was he? But then again, she knew this was the only way that she was able to get answers out of him.

"Fine." she grumbled as she made her way out of her room and walked down stairs to the kitchen.

Thank god her parents were out tonight. She had noticed the small yellow sticky note that was pasted on the fridge when she arrived home earlier tonight after the... _incident_ at the park.

"Damn that Ikuto..." She mumbled to herself as she opened the kitchen cabinet above her to get the tea bags, but was unable to do so because of her short figure.

Aggravated, she tried reaching with all her might. Even standing on her toes and with the help of the counter she wasn't able to reach it. Stretching to the very limits of what she could do, she was surprised when she noticed Ikuto's arm reached passed hers and grabbed the bags.

"Looking for this?"

"Yeah, thanks _so_ much for the help," she huffed, crossing her arms across her chest as she turned and glared at him. "Now give me the bag."

His eyes glinted and his expression changed and she thought he was considering it. Then she realization dawned on her as she saw what that glint was.

It was the glint of mischief and merciless teasing.

"Ikuto... Give. Me. The bag." She said slowly, moving forward to try and grab it.

"Now, why would I do that?" He mused as he snatched his hand away from Amu's grasp.

"Ikuto!" She lunged for the bag as she jumped for the bag, only to realize that Ikuto stepped away from her and her hands grabbed the air.

And so it begins.

The game of the cat and mouse.

"Come and get it, _Amu_." His smirk was so wide to the point where Amu went ballistic.

He held the bag in front of her face for a few moments before Amu pounced. However, Ikuto noticed a bit too late. As he pulled away, Amu's body collided with his and he fell back with a grunt as he landed on the ground.

They both blinked, slightly dizzy at what had just occurred. Ikuto pulled his hand up to his head as he heard Amu groan.

"You okay?" he asked in a teasing tone.

"Yeah, I'm _super."_ She said sarcastically.

She heard a silent chuckle from him before noticing the quick wince from the very edge of her vision.

"Damn, when did you get so strong?" Ikuto asked while rubbing the back of his head from the pain of the impact.

Amu took this as an opportunity to snatch the tea bag out of his hand and swiftly get back up. Returning to the counter, she began making the tea.

Every few moments or so she would glance back at Ikuto to see what he was doing but he was still sitting in the same spot as when he fell, staring at Amu. She quickly turned her head back to the tea as she felt a familiar heat rise up in her cheeks.

Truthfully, she was very irritated at the game he had decided to play. But was beyond confused at how Ikuto could act so normally after they had only just met from years of separation literally 10 minutes ago. How was he able to stay so calm and confine while she was nearly puking on the inside?

He had no right to come barging in her room like he owned it. But then again, that _is_ what he had been doing ever since he met her.

She smiled as she remembered the first time she found him in her bed. Everything felt like it was always be fine back then.

But things don't always turn out the way you hope.

"What are you thinking about?" He smirked, pulling Amu away from her thoughts as she turned around to face him.

She walked up to him and shoved the tea in his face.

"Here's your damn tea," she narrowed her eyes at him."Now tell me why the hell you're here."

Ikuto stood up, still having that signature smirk plastered on his face.

"Well if you must know," He replied, "I came to see you."

Amu's eyes widened. Damn it!

He was doing it again.

Making her heart beat like it was nothing.

"Why did you stop texting me?" She had always wanted to ask him that. All these years of confusion and hurt at the sudden communication cut was overwhelming for her to handle. But all she wanted to know was why.

Ikuto furrowed his eye brows.

"What do you mean? Didn't you get my letter? I didn't really have enough money to keep paying for my cell phone so I cut it off. The amounts were adding up and I barely had the money to pay for the plane tickets to find my dad."

Her heart stopped.

All this time she was worrying over why he had stopped talking to her and the many months of pain in her hear was because of a freaking cell phone bill?

 _A letter?_

She never even thought to check her mail box. All that was usually in there was school updates and junk mail. All the mail in her mail box filled up many times from the years of not checking it so she usually just threw all of it away.

Including his letter.

"Oh." That was all she could get out. But that's when it hit her, this shouldn't be the thing she should be asking him. She should be asking him about the reason of his journey for the past 6 years. "Did you... Did you find your dad?"

She was hesitant, of course she would be. You dont normally go asking people that question. But, Ikuto wasn't normal.

His face instantly changed. But it wasn't what she expected it to change to. It was a... sorrowful expression?

"Yeah.." he replied looking away, not being able to look her in the eye.

She was confused. Wasn't the person who has found his father that has been missing for most of his life be overjoyed when he finally finds him?

"If you did find him then why are you here sulking?" She asked clearly baffled.

He turned to face her, and looked her straight in the eye. She was more than surprised at the sudden action. He started to walk toward the balcony door but stopped just after he opened it. She was about to open her mouth to speak before Ikuto beat her to it.

"Goodnight Amu." He said before while jumping off the balcony in a swift movement.

She stumbled as she ran toward him but he was nowhere to be found on he ground beneath the balcony.

He was gone,

Just like that.

Was he coming back? She didn't know. But it was very obvious that she hoped he did.

And she _will_ find out what happened with his dad.

She sighed as she walked back into her now quiet room with books scattered on the floor.

Tsukiyomi Ikuto was a mystery.

But he sure went over her expectations.

* * *

 **A/N: So there's the 4th chapter! I'm planning to make this a 10 shot but I'm not sure. Also, I will be making another story after this one ends but i will not reveal anything about it just yet. Anyways, Please review and give advice! I would love to hear your thoughts about what the story could end up like!**

 **Yours Truly,**

 **SilverSpark101**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Oh. My. Lord. How long has it been? Half a year? To be honest I don't really have an excuse. Schools been hitting me hard the past few months and I've been working non-stop. But I think i finally found some time to start writing again so hopefully this chapter makes up for it. Anyways enjoy and please review.**

 **Disclaimer: SilverSpark101 does not own Shugo Chara or any of the characters.**

 **Chapter 5: _Bullets_**

* * *

 _"I don't let everyone see who I am. There are faces that I only show you._

 _And there are even more that I only want you to see..."_

* * *

Graduation Day.

The day of accepting a piece of paper that presents your work of the past four years in a bottled up building.

Oh how the years can go by so fast.

If this was last week, she couldn't of been more grateful to leave this teeming town. But now, sitting here on her bed and replaying last nights events, she was beginning to hesitate.

Ikuto's reappearance was the single thing that made her question her own motives, making her doubt what was already set in stone.

What was he thinking?

He ruined everything.

But either way she had to summon enough effort to carry herself to school.

She glanced at her desk and saw that her mom had laid out her graduation dress. It was a simple all white sundress with a halter top and a flowy skirt that spun upward when she twirled. A midnight blue sash tied around her waist and there was a choker to match. It was made of blue ribbon with a small black egg pendant dangling from it.

She was surprised at first. She wasn't expecting her mother to take the time to choose a dress for her when she wasn't home much often anymore, always busy with work or conference calls.

She glanced at the time. 8:20.

Crap.

She was late.

Amu hurried and got into her dress, zipping up the dress and tying the sash around her waist. Surprisingly, she did wonders on doing her hair, styling it into a simple but elegant up-do. Amu tied the choker around her neck and turned to look into the mirror.

She looked completely different.

Amu never worried and took effort over the way she looked through the years. But, looking at herself now, she liked it.

There was just enough of her own style in the outfit to satisfy her but it was different enough to be worthy of graduation.

Turning from her reflection, she grabbed her bag and headed out the door.

* * *

Amu walked through the double doors and into the school auditorium. She paused there, panting, taking a moment to catch her breath. After a few seconds, she straightened herself out and scanned the room. Almost everyone was here already, only a few people left to arrive.

Amu strolled down the aisle toward her assigned seat at the front of the auditorium. With a sigh, she plopped down into her seat between a few acquaintances.

She felt a gentle tap coming from behind her and turned to see Tadase smiling at her, holding out a white folded object.

"Here's your cape. You forgot to pick it up at school yesterday."

"Oh," Amu replied, taking the folded cape from his outstretched hand. "Thanks."

Tadase didn't speak further and Amu was grateful for that.

Amu carefully unfolded the white cape and put it on. Everyone in the graduating classes received white capes for their graduation. Although, each class received their own type of cape. Amu's cape was trimmed with sapphire blue with light dots on both the bottom and the top of the cape.

The principle walked onto the stage and started to address the assembly. It was the same generic speech written every year for the graduates. He talked about this was the beginning of their lives and the limitless possibilities that awaited them.

Amu, however, was soon bored out of her mind. Her mind looked for amusement elsewhere. Her eyes wandered around to a nearby window and she stared at it until she saw a flash of midnight blue hair.

She blinked.

It was gone.

She laughed inwardly, dismissing her bizarre thoughts.

 _Must have been a trick of the light._

* * *

Amu took a sip of punch as she rested her arms on the fence and looked out into the school garden.

After parties were such a bore these days.

She sighed as she took out her high school diploma and started playing with the blue ribbon wrapped around it.

What was she doing?

She should be jumping for joy and leaping on the next plane to America.

Instead, here she was, sulking and dealing with her berserk emotions. Never has she been more conflicted before.

Stupid Ikuto.

This was all his fault.

After a while, she got tired of her self pity and decided it was a good time to leave instead of just having an inner battle with herself in the middle of the school garden.

She grabbed her bag and departed through the school doors, not willing to answer the confused eyes that stare her down.

...

The more Amu thought about it, the more she realized how incredibly and stupidly hasty she had been in walking through the suburbs of the city so late at night. What exactly was she thinking when she decided to leave the school at such an hour?

She cringed when she felt a wet sensation on the heel of her foot. She rolled her eyes.

Great. Another puddle.

Did I mention it was raining?

She thanked herself that she remembered to bring an umbrella in her bag before she left.

By now, her dress was worn down and nearly drenched in water. Her hand clutched the umbrella which was almost frozen solid. Her nose and cheeks were red and puffy.

 _What the hell was I thinking?_

Her self-hatred worsened with every step she took down the cold, dark streets. This was the shortest route home, however, it had seemed much more tolerable moments ago when she was determined to be rid of her conflicting emotions. Now that her anger had died down, and the stupidity of it all was finally beginning to dawn on her, it had also dawned on her just how creepy these streets could be at night.

The streetlights were unusually dim, and various pieces of debris blew around in the wind, causing disturbing noises that made Amu jump. The sidewalks were cracked and worn, and a thin layer of mist blanketed the concrete.

Amu clutched her umbrella tighter, taking a deep, soothing breath. But no matter how many times she did so, she couldn't escape the eerie feeling that bubbled up inside her. However, she commanded her mentality not to run, no matter how scary it had seemed.

"Hey, doll face."

Amu jumped instantaneously after hearing the low, raspy voice echo through the dark streets. She barely made out the silhouette of a scraggly young man staggering out of the alley way just in front of her. She felt a sudden rush of panic overcome her, but she quickly calmed herself.

She had to get out of here.

She wheeled around without a word.

"Aw, goin' somewhere?"Another voice. "We just wanted to play."

She froze.

Before she could comprehend the situation further, two tall, dark men were closing in on her, fast. The way they swaggered and swayed, it wasn't that hard to tell they were drunk.

After realizing this, she stopped thinking. Her mind was clouded with panic.

"Now, just come with us, and it'll all be over, right?" The raspy one said.

"Right," the other one said. She could almost hear the wicked smile cross the other one's face.

Amu lost control of her nervous system. Her body no longer responded to the commands in her mind. Terror was quickly seizing her body

But she didn't let them know that.

Quickly, she pulled her umbrella shut, and with all her strength she could muster, she swung it wildly through the air.

The umbrella stabbed the man in the head and he fell to his knees, clutching his head in writhing pain.

 _Bull's-eye_

Amu seized the opportunity and shoved her foot directly into the man's groin. He grunted violently, and kneeled over in agonizing pain. Amu then whirled around, and held up the remainder of her broken umbrella in a threatening position.

Suddenly, her knees became weak.

The man was pointing a gun straight at her face.

"That's right, freeze." His voice no longer sounded smug. "Come with us, lady, or you'll strongly regret it."

"Why don't we just kill her now?" The man on the ground said tightly, obviously still in pain. "Save us some trouble."

Amu felt no breath in her lungs. As hard as she tried, she couldn't breathe.

She couldn't think, she couldn't speak. She couldn't believe this was happening.

 _This is not real._

 _This can't be real._

Suddenly the man before her burst forward involuntarily, and the gun sprang from his hand. He sprawled out on the concrete, and Amu finally sprang alive just in time to sidestep warily out of harms way.

Before Amu could realize what was happening, there was a third shadow in her midst.

Her mind was demanding her to run away, but her feet didn't respond. They stayed glued to their trembling position, and she watched in fear as the two thugs were being assaulted by the third man.

Though it was too dark to make out any distinct features, her rescuer was tall and lean. He was also very capable of fighting two men at one time. The men's fighting drifted to the alley. The small amount of light that could've been provided by the moon was concealed with the dark rainclouds. Amu wandered how the hell he could see in such darkness.

Suddenly, she heard a deafening gunshot echo through the blackness.

She let out a muted scream.

A second gunshot followed.

Amu felt like her head would explode. She'd never heard or been exposed to gun shots before. The sound was surely amplified by the pitch blackness surrounding her. But then the thoughts struck her.

Where did the bullets go?

A surge of panic immediately rushed through her.

 _No._

Suddenly, two men scrambled out of the alley way, panting heavily. Judging by their physique, Amu determined that they were the two thugs.

Amu's head throbbed more intensely than she'd ever known. She shivered lightly in the cold rain. Her heart was pounding wildly in her chest as she slowly delved deeper in the darkness.

Then, her heartbeat stopped when she saw a limp figure on the ground.

 _Motionless._

She wanted to scream, but she felt no breath in her lungs anymore, much less a voice.

She fell to her weak knees beside the man. It was so dark; she could barely see his form. She wanted to growl in frustration at the damn idiot who decided not to change the street lights.

She squinted her eyes once more, and tried her hardest to to find a body part that she recognized. Then she saw it; a bright flash of pale skin, illuminated in the darkness. She reached out her quivering hand and touched it gently.

 _Ice cold._

She hesitantly moved her hand further across his face, and her spirits sank with every cold, lifeless touch. A burst of movement startled her as she jumped and moved her hand to cover her mouth.

 _He was alive!_

"A-are you alright?" Her voice quivered and wavered with her own own fear and uncertainty.

There was minimal silence. Once again, Amu jumped in apprehensive surprise when a low, clear voice cut through the darkness of the valley.

"Yeah."

Amu felt a sense of relief, though his answer did not calm his nerves completely. She was still fairly shaken about the whole incident, but this man could not have sounded more calm.

That's when her eyes caught a glimpse of his right leg.

She gasped. There were two bullet holes with blood soaking his blue jeans.

"You... you're hurt."

"It does appear that way, doesn't it?" The man said bluntly. Though his sense of humor was not nearly necessary at the time.

The voice sounded awfully calm for someone as injured as he was. The man shifted his position, and panic came back to her.

"No, don't move! I-I'll call the po-"

 _"Don't."_

His voice was so tight and pained. Amu was at a loss for words, and actions. But when the man was struggling to stand, her instincts told her to move to his side and support him. She slipped her arm underneath his shoulders, and was slightly surprised to find his back very firm and masculine. Her other arm found his hand and she draped it over her shoulders for his dependence. It was then that she realized she was breathing again...

Because the most familiar scent rushed through her head with the first deep breath.

She shook her head. She was imagining things again.

"Thank you." Amu whispered suddenly.

She blurted it out unconsciously, so as to avoid further wandering of her strange, very confused mind. Her arms and legs were now beginning to feel the mans weight. He was surprisingly heavy, and seemed to be at least two heads taller than her. Nevertheless, she kept walking slowly, supporting her rescuer in every step. He remained silent, and seemed rigid and tense. She felt increasingly horrible with every muscular strain she felt in his arm.

Finally, she and the man had managed to drag each other into the dimly lit streets, and she readjusted the position of his arm on her shoulder so that she could face him.

"Now can you please tell me why you-"

She stopped

Her throat was dry and hoarse. The lack of breath in her lungs limited her speech once again, so she uttered out the only word on her lips.

"Ikuto...?"

* * *

 **A/N: I'm a very horrible person, am i not? WELP. I _should_ have another chapter out by next week. And is it just me, or is my chapters just getting longer and longer? Oh, well. Enjoy the rest of your day my pretties. **

**Yours Truly,**

 **SilverSpark101**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: SO. As promised, here's the next chapter. This one's sorta a filler but it has some important points to it. But I hope you enjoy this and please review if you like.**

 **Disclaimer: SilverSpark101 does not own Shugo Chara or any of the characters.**

 **Chapter 6** _ **: Unspoken**_

* * *

 _"But even if the stars are hidden behind thick clouds,_

 _they are surely still out there."_

* * *

His familiar face was once again being etched into her mind..

She felt frantically sick. Her knees were wobbling, and her brain was struggling to wrap around the present situation.

She foolishly attempted to speak.

"W-what are you..h-how..?"

Before she could utter another sound, she felt warm, muscular arms envelop her in a desperate embrace. Ikuto's hands clutched the back of her coat in desperation, and buried his head in the crook of her neck.

Amu felt a deep wave of emotion swell up from the forgotten depths of her heart. She felt his hot, quick, heavy breaths against her neck. Damp strands of his soft hair tickled her cheek. She felt nauseated by the scent of his blood. The wounds on his flesh were staining the bottom of her dress and she could barely contain her queasiness.

Ikuto buried his face deeper into her hair and inhaled deeply, the familiar scent of strawberries rushing through his mind.

Then, his breath was lost.

He slumped like a limp puppet in Amu's arms.

Suddenly, Amu felt a heavy pressure on her weak knees, and was forced to fold them as Ikuto came crashing down on her.

"Ikuto?"

Before she could further comprehend the events in the darkness, Amu was kneeling on the cold, wet cement, entangled with an unconscious Ikuto. She let out a sharp cry at the distorted position of her leg, and tried her best to shift her uncomfortable position.

"Ikuto, w-wake up...!"

Shifting her position relaxed her body to some extent, but her mind was still frantic and jumbled. For a split second, she thought he wasn't breathing; she was relieved to finally hear him intake a sharp breath. His breathing steadied from then on.

It was only then that Amu herself had finally remembered to breathe. The final moment of stillness gave her time to think.

 _What now?_

Suddenly, she felt the overwhelming rush of memories colliding on her.

* * *

 _He's asleep on my lap. But my knees hurt, and his hair tickles. But he does look... different now. If he was always like this, he'd be a bit cuter._

 _I moved my hand across his hair._

 _Its so soft, just like a big cat._

 _Suddenly his eyes flashed open. He looked up at me._

 _"Don't touch me in erotic places."_

 _"W-what? Erotic?"_

 _A slick grin crossed his face._

 _"My ears are my weakness. Just like yours..."_

* * *

Amu looked at Ikuto wistfully. Somehow, she had grown numb to the cold, midnight rain; although red and swollen, her hands had nearly stopped shivering. Before she could think, her hands found their way up to Ikuto's cheek. She brushed a wet lock of his hair from his face, and stared at his dark silhouette.

She half expected his eyes to flash open and his familiar smirk to wind its way into her heart.

Her hand had woven itself into his, fine, delicate, soft hair, and she stroked it gently.

She didn't move from that spot until she could see the sun rising up from the clear, cloudless sky.

* * *

Amu stood rigid against her kitchen counter, hugging her cold, damp shoulders tightly.

She stared at the man in her couch as he lay unconscious and bleeding.

Ikuto's physical strength, as well as his will power, had all but failed him, and Amu's small, slender frame, albeit muscular, was not meant to carry something, or someone, of such stature and surprising weight. It was a miracle that she had been able to drag him from the alley all the way to her house, but nonetheless, she did.

She didn't know where else he could go. He said he wanted no police, and if she had taken him to the hospital, they surely would have taken him in for questioning as to his gunshot wounds.

The whole situation itself scared her out of her mind.

But every human being on the damned face of the planet, Ikuto just _had_ to be the one that was shot. He coincidentally showed up in the darkest corner of the city at the same time as her, just in time to save her life.

 _Coincidentally._

And now, she was left with the responsibility of tending to his gruesome, bloody, wounds, whose scent made her gag and convulse.

It was as if her brain was testing itself to its fullest limit. She could swear that in moments, it was apt to explode.

She sighed as she decided it was a good time to change into dry, clean clothes, Considering her current one was drenched and stained with blood.

She made her way to her bedroom slowly, knees wobbling. She groped for support throughout the small, tedious journey, and stopped only for a moment to shoot a feverish glance at Ikuto, sleeping on the couch. Then, she disappeared through the doorway, into her room.

Just minutes later, Amu emerged from her bedroom, wearing a pair of tattered jeans and a loose green sweater. It was clearly evident that her choice of clothing wasn't even near the top of her mental list.

She had planned to casually treat Ikutos wounds the moment he awakened, but the reoccurring thoughts of excess blood being lost changed her mind reluctantly. She walked over to the couch and stared down at the sleeping man. It was then that she finally obtained a good view of his face. Unguarded, defenseless, and completely harmless. She felt tempted to smile. She hadn't forgotten how utterly adorable he looks when he's fast asleep.

Then she snapped out of it.

She wanted to smack herself again.

 _What the hell are you doing?_

She slowly strode to the kitchen and leaned against the counter with a cup of hot tea to warm the palms of her quivering hands. Should he happen to wake, Amu did _not_ want to be seen fawning over him like a stupidly obsessed girl.

Her gaze wandered over to the couch once more, and she tried to comprehend her idiotic thoughts.

She felt outrageously _helpless._

She felt frantic, nauseated.

Completely and utterly _stupid._

But then again, she hasn't felt such peace in a long time.

Amu spent the next several minutes just simply sipping her tea, ignoring the excruciating pain of the steamy hot liquid on her tongue. She purposely kept her mind void of any thoughts, so as to relax the continuous headache that was gradually worsening. For several minutes her eyes wandered everywhere but the couch, where the sleeping victim lay, awaiting medical attention.

Finally, she took a deep breath, inhaling the warm, relaxing steam from her tea. She looked over at the couch for what seemed like the millionth time in the short while he's been there.

 _It's time._

She grabbed her towel and the bowls of water from the kitchen counter and walked quickly to ikuto's side. She sat on the coffee table right in front of the couch, and immediately began dipping the towel in the lukewarm water. She had the damp cloth in her hand, and reached forward to his outstretched leg, but was stopped.

By her own common sense.

What was she doing?

She was no doctor. She wasn't a nurse. She had no medical training at all.

The farthest medical treatment she had given was putting a band-aid on a kids knee.

Ikuto had been shot. _Twice._

Was she really doing the right thing?

The longer she stared at Ikuto's wounds, the more convinced she became of how she was entirely useless.

But it was the least she could do.

As gently as possible, Amu pressed the damp towel to the open wound on Ikuto's leg. She was afraid of touching it too firmly, so she dabbed at the bloody dash with the white cloth. A sudden burst of red liquid came from the hole in his leg.

She took a deep breath and pressed on the wound a bit more. She retracted the cloth, dipped it in the water, and pressed it gently again. SHe repeated the process smoothly for several minutes. She couldn't imagine how painful it must be.

Suddenly, Ikuto's eyes burst open.

Amu jumped. She caught her breath.

Their eyes met for a moment before she looked away.

"You're awake." Her voice was hoarse and dry, her throat threatening to clench shut.

She could tell he was staring at her. She dipped the cloth in the water again and brought it to his leg once more. She purposely avoided his gaze.

Amu pressed gently, this time wiping the cloth smoothly across the gash. Ikuto said nothing, nor did he flinch.

Amu arose from her position on the coffee table, carrying the bowl of red water, and paused for a moment. She set the bowl in the sink, and clung to the sides of the counter. She breathed in, and stared into the sink, tainted with red.

She turned on the water, rinsed out the sink, and filled up the bowl with water. She walked out again to the couch, and sat gently on the coffee table.

By this time, Ikuto had attempted to sit up slightly. He had now accomplished taking his eyes off of Amu, and was staring into space blankly with those cobalt eyes of his. Amu picked up the clean white bandages from the coffee table beside her, and gently ripped off a piece of cottony cloth. She then pressed the bandage across the wound. Amu glanced at him briefly. He did not flinch. Feeling a little more confident, she carefully taped the bandage over the clean wound. She proceeded to clean the second gunshot.

Amu felt a small sense of accomplishment as she cleaned and bandaged Ikuto's gunshot wounds. She knew it might have not been the most healthy-conscious decision, but nevertheless, she felt like she was doing something to assist the man who saved her life.

Though at the same time, she knew nothing would be enough to repay him.

The silence was becoming ominous. Amu knew she didn't have anything to say, nor did she have the right to say it, after how cowardly she acted in the alley. But this silence was driving her insane.

She looked at Ikuto.

"That was very reckless of you," she said quietly, almost hoping he wouldn't hear.

"I could say the same for you," He said lithely.

Amu was slightly startled by his immediate reply. His clear, low voice echoed through her mind. His voice was deeper, and gentler; like a ribbon of dark silk.

Suddenly, she thought back to the words he'd said.

she cocked an eyebrow. "Pardon?"

She looked at him warily, but he simply turned away with a dull gleam in his eye.

"Running around in the city at midnight with two tall, dark strangers." Ikuto sat up more, she could almost _hear_ the smirk in his voice.

His voice was like a sharp, yet smooth shining sword that pierced her pride with every word.

"Excuse me? It just so happens that there was a third tall, dark, not-so-stranger skulking around in the middle of the night. How would you explain that?"

Amu's anger capacity was increasing steadily every passing second. Ikuto's expression did not change but his voice carried to a higher infliction.

"I saved your li-"

He suddenly grunted in pain when Amu pressed hard on he cloth to his leg.

"And I'm saving yours," she snapped.

There was a long period of silence, in which Amu cleaned and dressed the wounds on Ikuto's bruised, tainted leg. It was a tight, somewhat tense silence, but it was altogether tolerable, and gave them both time to reflect and think. Neither showed any signs of a smile, nor friendliness or humor of any sort but both quietly and subtly noticed a change in one another.

For the next several minutes, there was no communication, no eye contact, no noise. Amu let out an occasional sigh of frustration when the bandage in her hand wouldn't cooperate, but Ikuto didn't make a sound. Due to this fact, Amu felt increasingly uncomfortable.

"How did you know?"

Amu froze, realizing that it was her own voice that uttered the words. She couldn't possibly act like she hadn't meant to, so she simply repeated it.

"How did you know… where I was?"

The question seemed unbelievably bold at that very moment in time, and she couldn't believe she'd actually said it, but she had. Ikuto, however, didn't look so shocked. In fact, his expression was exactly the same as it had been.

"Instinct," he muttered out.

Amu rolled her eyes, she shouldn't have expected anything more.

After this, Ikuto said nothing, he simply sat up a little, and twisted his torso around slowly. He raised his arm, to the strong objection of the very visible bruise on his shoulder, but managed to lower it without even a grimace. Amu wasn't surprised. Ikuto was always one to hide away his pain and emotion. And as long as he was watching, so would she.

"Are you hungry," Amu asked after a while.

He simply nodded.

Amu stood up from her cramped, uncomfortable position on the edge of the coffee table, and carried the bowl of bloody water with her to the kitchen. She dumped it out in the sink, and ran water until the stains were removed from the sink.

The brief thought of policemen invading her apartment and trying her for murder because of evidence of bloodstains in her sink did _not_ sit well with her.

She was still beyond confused as to why he refused to call the police or head to the hospital but she knew this was not a good time to ask. She would get her chance eventually.

Amu grabbed a plate from the cabinet and gathered the materials to make a sandwich. After swiftly completing her task, she put everything away and headed back to the couch, where Ikuto was flexing his muscles and stretching his arms slowly. He looked more awake now. His eyes held just a slight bit more awareness than they had before. She handed the plate of food to him and he took it.

He looked at her briefly before muttering out an almost inaudible 'Thanks'.

She picked up her tea with both hands, and now that it was cooled down, she could drink it comfortably. She looked at Ikuto solemnly, and brushed a flyaway strand of bright pink hair from her forehead. She took this time to interpret her thoughts.

 _What would have happened if Ikuto hadn't shown up?_

She shivered at the new-found thought.

She really may have died if he hadn't come.

Despite how much she'd wished it hadn't been him, maybe Ikuto was the exact person she needed at that time.

At that moment, she felt an inexplicable and irrevocable respect for Ikuto. There were so many things she wished to say to him; so much she wished to tell him. For a fleeting moment, she simply wished to sit beside him and tell him how much she missed him, how much she still loved him.

But she couldn't do it.

Perhaps things were better left unspoken.

* * *

 **A/N: To be honest, I'm not that happy with this chapter. I think it could've been better, but it might just be me. I've decided that I'm gonna stop pretending that I know when I'm gonna update. So the next chapters are gonna come when they come. Have a great day :)**

 **Yours Truly,**

 **SilverSpark101**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: My head is bleeding right now. I spent about 4 hours studying and somehow thought it was a good idea to write this whole chapter in one go. Did I mention it's 2 in the morning? I'm surprised I'm still conscious. BUT, I think this chapter is a good one so please enjoy. Or don't, I mean I can't force you to like it. :P.**

 **Disclaimer: SilverSpark101 does not own Shugo Chara or any of the characters**

 **Chapter 7: _Dreams_**

* * *

 _"If you don't know what it means to be your true self,_

 _you can become anything you want to be, right?"_

* * *

 _BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEE-_

Amu cursed herself.

She haphazardly flung her arm to her bedside table, and groped around wildly for the obnoxious contraption causing early morning disturbance. She found a clock-shaped lump, and coincidentally, seemed to press every button imaginable _but_ the alarm disable. In the furious craze to stop its uproar, she lifted it and slammed it as hard as possible onto the table.

The noise ceased.

She groaned silently in half-relief, half-resentment.

Now she had no choice to get up. No matter what time it was, if Amu awakes, she stays awake. She sat up, threw her legs over the side of the bed , and sat erect in that position for several minutes. She slowly rubbed her temples.

What was with her and these headaches?

Her head seemed crowded with thought, and yet, there was no thought in her mind other than that very question.

When she looked down, she also noticed that she was in ratted jeans and a huge cottony sweater from the thrift store. What was she doing last night?

Unfortunately, she couldn't remember a thing.

She slipped on her silky black bathrobe, and although she shivered slightly in the morning autumn chill, she didn't bother slipping pajama pants beneath it.

It occurred to her that she remembered one thing about the night before; it was _not_ easy getting to sleep. She had the strangest nightmare… what it was, she couldn't remember, but it troubled her. She hadn't had nightmares – or dreams, rather – since she was a teenager.

Amu slipped on a pair of bright yellow slippers, and slowly and steadily gated out of her room. Her slippers dragged on the kitchen tiles, creating a slow and steady rhythm to fill the silence.

There was another noise, however – water, trickling… coming from her room?

She whirled around, only to catch a glimpse out of the corner of her eye of the huge, wall length window along the outside wall of her apartment.

 _Ah – rain._

She sighed.

The remnants of summer occurred on occasional autumn days, but the bitterly cold rain had been falling sporadically for days, only adding to the misery of Amu's dull, torturous life.

Amu leaned against the counter, and held her stomach tightly. A queasy feeling was taking over her, and she felt pressure squeezing her head.

 _A headache again?_

She breathed in and out, very slowly.

She turned around to her stove, and began boiling water for tea. She opened her food pantry, and pulled out the one and only box of cereal in the cabinet – good old-fashioned Cheerios. She looked up to see her reflection in the kitchen mirror.

She groaned. Her bright fuchsia hair was definitely _not_ attractively disheveled.

Amu ran her hand through her hair, roughly smoothing out the tangles. Her bangs came rushing back to her face, and her long pink hair cascaded down the silky black robe on her back. She spied the remote on the kitchen counter, and without a thought of her actions, she clicked the power button in the general direction of the TV just a living room away.

Suddenly, the sleepy feeling in her system disappeared.

The remote came crashing down to the floor.

Everything came rushing back to her at the speed of light, the darkness, the rain, the gunshots, the blood... _everything._

 _Ikuto...!_

Without further hesitation, she dashed across the room to the black couch in the wood floor-

The couch was empty.

Her frantic, wide-eyed gaze darted around the house, searching for any glimpse of the tall, blue haired man. A bolt of panic was surging through her body, making her tingle with fright.

 _Where is he?_

Amu paced back and forth. She rubbed her cold, clammy hands together fiercely.

She couldn't believe that last night had completely slipped her mind as it had. Ikuto had been here, in her house, on her couch, and now he was gone?

Amu forced herself to breathe deeply, and calm herself. Her nerves were a little more at ease, and her mind was slightly more relaxed. She let out a shaky breath. See? She was completely and utterly calm,

"Your water is boiling."

...until a deep voice erupted behind her.

"Wha...!?"

Amu leaped out of her skin, and every calm nerve in her body abruptly snapped at the low voice echoing off the walls. She whirled around, and instantly, all feeling and senses with her died.

"I-I..ku-"

She couldn't even utter his name properly. She was officially sick of this scared feeling in her gut, in her mind, and in her quivering, clammy hands. She felt goose bumps all over her body just at the sight of his luminous, perfect chest, tainted with bruises and white bandages that reminded her of everything. His midnight-blue hair was dripping wet, and a white towel was slung lazily over his head. His eyes were piercing and sparkling, penetrating deeply into hers without a ghost of an effort.

She was still trying hard just to breathe.

"Wh-what are you…?"

He slung the white towel nonchalantly over his shoulder. He walked from her bedroom doorway to her kitchen, and Amu instinctively stepped back several paces until ramming into the counter, but felt incessantly stupid when he simply and casually flipped the lid off of her screaming tea kettle.

"I re-did the bandages myself," he stated bluntly, as if she cared or something.

She nodded faintly, and made some sort of sigh of approval, still trying her hardest to soak in the current situation.

Ikuto's deep, midnight blue eyes were still burning holes into her very flesh. She noticed his eyes trailing downward, and she suddenly snapped out of her daze. Her hand instinctively flew to her upper robe, clutching both sides of the revealing fabric just above her chest. She also stepped behind the kitchen island to hide her bare legs. She didn't think before she spoke, but speaking somehow seemed like one of the best decisions at the time.

"H-how are you feeling?"

"Fine." He answered casually.

"Are your wounds healing?"

"Not really."

The silence was inevitable. Although, seeing as Ikuto had no problem with it, she decided not to speak further.

"Are you hungry?" She asked for the sake of the moment.

Ikuto didn't answer. He wasn't looking at her anymore, and she knew what that meant.

"I'll take that as a 'yes'."

She tied the string of her robe around her waist once more, covering herself more adequately. She ran her hand through her hair roughly, and took in a deep breath.

Amu couldn't believe how idiotic she felt. She wasn't a high school student anymore.

However, with Ikuto there, it certainly made her feel like one all over again.

Amu walked across the kitchen, to the refrigerator – causing an awkward encounter with Ikuto's tall, muscular, steamy, half-naked form – and pulled out a carton of milk from the shelf. She picked up an orange out of the fruit bowl, and turned around. When she made sure that he was paying attention, she tossed it to him. He caught it with one hand.

Amu cringed, and wanted to smack herself again. She forgot about the injuries on his shoulder.

Amu finally leaned against the counter, watching with amusement as Ikuto dully fidgeted with the orange. He seemed to be having trouble peeling it. She rolled her eyes, and walked over to him, snatching it from his hands. She pinched the thick skin and began tossing fragments of orange peel onto the kitchen counter.

"Did you sleep well?" She asked. She tried her hardest to sound firm.

"Not really."

He paused.

"…You were snoring."

 _Wha –?_

"Snoring?" She whirled around.

One look at his slightly curled lip told her that _no_ , as a matter of fact, she was _not_ snoring. She growled.

 _He's still a moron._

She slammed the naked orange back into his hand, with added drama for extra effect. Of all things, she'd thought that at least his maturity level would change after all these years.

Apparently, she was wrong.

She was silent after that. She refused to speak, simply because she was running out of things to say. The pressure of the enclosed space, the gloomy lighting, and the minimal conversation was taking its toll on her already pulsating headache. She had no idea when she'd begun to get so flustered around a man –

But Ikuto was no man.

He was a stupid, thoughtless, cocky, catlike, idiotic moron.

 _Name calling will get you nowhere in life._ She thought to herself.

She poured the steaming hot water into her favorite mug.

"You sleep in later than you used to," Ikuto said as he glanced at her.

Amu was slightly thrown off by the unrelated comment. She set the kettle down on the stove gently. She turned her head stiffly, and looked at him incredulously.

"…What?"

Ikuto looked like a deer caught in headlights.

Well… as much as an expressionless man like him _could_ look like a deer caught in headlights.

Amu almost snickered. _Did he mean to say that?_

"You used to wake up early," he said lowly.

 _Smooth recovery._

She thought back to her teen days, bringing a smile to her face.

She remembered… waking up early to watch the sunrise every morning on the deck of her childhood home. She smiled. Every morning, she looked forward to watching the sunrise; she wished with everything in her being that it would never end.

Her smile faded.

She shook her head slowly, inwardly fearing that she had displayed a tell-tale spectrum of emotions at the mention of her childhood.

"So you've noticed," she simply said lowly.

She stirred the tea bag into the hot water, watching as the dark-colored flavor spread in long, thin streams throughout the liquid.

"Well. Some people don't get as much sleep as others do," she glanced at Ikuto subtly, "so they seize opportunities when they can."

She lifted the cup into her hands, and turned around to face Ikuto and lean against the counter.

"Besides; sunsets don't exist anymore in a dull town like this."

Ikuto said nothing – only stared at the orange in his hands, untouched. She would have expected him to make some sort of retort, some sort of jab at her pride; but he remained silent. From what she remembered, this was very unlike him.

 _Maybe he really has changed._

Amu sighed, and stood upright. She set her tea on the counter, and looked at Ikuto. He was still holding the orange.

"I'm going to take a shower," she stated matter-of-factly. "Will you be okay?"

He shrugged. She wasted no time in obtaining that as some form of 'yes', and pulling her hair on top of her head with her hands.

She would've tied it with a hair-tie, but it was missing from her wrist.

She was in shock.

Her ever-faithful hair-tie.

She scanned the kitchen counters briefly, still holding her hair sloppily with one hand.

Ikuto seemed to notice the distraught expression on her face.

"It's on the chair," he muttered, without looking at her.

Amu glanced at him questionably. He jerked his head in the general direction of the khaki chair in the living room, and Amu followed his motion. She stepped slowly into the living room, and peeked at the chair –

She felt such relief.

There it was, lying plainly on the chair's cushion. She picked up the black elastic hair band, and finally tied up her bright, electric pink hair into a loose, high ponytail. She then looked at Ikuto with blunt confusion.

"How did you…?"

He didn't look at her. He simply stared at the wall, and said dully,

"It fell out when you were asleep."

"…Oh."

She walked over to her open bedroom door, but suddenly, something struck her.

Painfully.

"…Wait, what?"

She stared at Ikuto incredulously.

"Asleep? On the chair? But I woke up…"

Ikuto's expression still hadn't changed when he looked at Amu.

"You looked uncomfortable."

She froze.

Amu suddenly… wanted to hide under a rock.

 _He carried me…?_

"… Why…?"

Ikuto smirked deftly. He seemed amused about something. Amu, however, was less than entertained.

"How _stupid_ are you? Do you have any intelligence at all? You could of re-opened your wounds!" She squawked angrily.

He shrugged, apathetic.

He walked over to her couch, and reclined lazily.

"But, y'know, there is one thing…"

Amu could care less what the 'one thing' was, but for some reason, when that 'one thing' belonged to an injured man that had saved her life, there was an exception.

She whirled around, slightly ticked.

"And what is that?"

Ikuto's eye gleamed with deviousness.

"…You're heavier than you look."

Amu clenched her fist, and gritted her teeth.

She should've seen it coming.

Whether she chose to accept it or not, in more ways than one, Ikuto was exactly the same as he had been all those years ago.

But then again… not all of those characteristics were so wrong. After not seeing him all these years, she'd missed out on all of the things that had changed about him – now that he was back into her life, it was like meeting him for the first time all over again.

Although she still had feelings for him, he didn't romantically monopolize her thoughts as he had so many years ago. Yet still, it was safe to say that Ikuto…

 _Intrigued_ her.

It almost thrilled her dull little world.

As Amu walked into the shower, she couldn't help but let out a smirk.

* * *

"Here you go, little lady."

"Thanks, Mr. Mills."

"No problem, darlin'. You be sure an' take care o' that houseguest, now."

"Sure," she said half-heartedly.

Amu walked down the wet sidewalk, slowing her pace to rearrange the grocery bags hanging across her arms. Then she picked up her pace once more, bizarrely eager to get home.

Well, she wouldn't really dub her sudden burst of emotion 'eagerness'…

She simply worried of the state of her house, leaving that sloppy cat all alone to infest it.

It had nearly been a week since it had all happened.

It hadn't exactly been her idea to leave Ikuto at the house alone, just after being shot by street thugs and threatened of a further beating. But she had run out of gauze, as well as disinfectant, and Ikuto's wounds were still bleeding occasionally. It's not like she kept these things displayed on her mantel to attract wounded men. She'd simply inherited them from her mother.

Speaking of which, she hadn't seen her mother lately. She and her father had decided that they would have a little outing for a little while in America so when the time came for Amu to go to college, they would be there to help her. And although Amu had strongly opposed to it, she couldn't change their minds.

Perhaps they should know what's going on?

 _No, defiantly not._ She erased the thought from her mind.

Suddenly, Amu stopped walking. She had a revelation.

It must have been some sort of spiteful act of revenge by God that Ikuto had conveniently saved _her_ life, thus appealing to her pitying side. If it wasn't her life he saved, he wouldn't be currently residing in her home.

And yet…

A part of her was grateful to that reimbursing God that brought what she'd lost back into her life.

Still, she wasn't quite ready to accept the fact that she still had feelings for him.

She walked up to the door of her home with some difficulty, arguing with the groceries in her hands, only to have her anger transferred and directed toward her stupid door, along with her equally stupid key.

Finally, the lock gave way, and Amu walked into the house not bothering to shut the door. She walked quietly a few steps across the room and peered over the top of the couch.

Ikuto lay sleeping like a baby, one hand tucked under his head and the other dangling over the edge of the couch. She smirked.

He looked _so_ naive.

She brushed off the sudden urge to take a picture.

Instead, she let out a small smirk and walked back into the kitchen. She looked at the clock on the wall.

 _1:40 in the afternoon? How'd it get so late?_

Amu leaned against the kitchen counter, contemplating what to do. Although she was opposed to spending a Saturday taking care of an injured man, Ikuto and his wounds seemed to be the main priority on her list.

* * *

 _He's still not awake yet?_

Amu looked at the clock for the forth time in a period of 20 minutes.

Ikuto had been sleeping since she had came back from the grocery store, which was about 4 hours ago. But still, here he was, sleeping like a baby.

A soundless, completely motionless, quite adorable baby.

It was now six o'clock. The autumn sunset was filtering through her windows, casting an orange glow over the darkened apartment room. Ikuto had been sleeping since about one o'clock.

She wondered how much sleep he'd gotten the night before.

Amu glanced at him again, still sleeping soundly in the exact same position she'd found him in five hours ago. She folded her slender legs quietly, adorned in black lacy leggings. She wore a long, thin, shrug-like teal sweater, tied loosely at the waist – one that she'd received from a dance class a few years ago. Her thin pink hair was tied up in a high, messy bun, and she brushed the wispy bangs off of her forehead, only to have them rush back to her eyes once more. She brought the mug in her hands to her lips, sipping the steamy fluid gently. The over sized sleeves of her sweater, combined with the warmth of the steamy tea made her constantly frigid hands seem much warmer.

Her eyes were fixed entirely on Ikuto; they had been for the past hour or more.

Amu had been curled up in her large, dark leather chair, as if waiting for something to happen.

To be more specific, she was waiting for Ikuto to _wake_ _up_ already.

A cold chill ran through Amu's body, causing her to shiver slightly. Even with a hot cup of tea and a cottony sweater, Amu's feet were usually what caused her body's temperature.

Her feet were freezing cold. This was never a good sign.

She reluctantly stood from her comfortable and temporarily warm position in the chair, stretched, and began walking over to the thermostat on the wall by the front door. She glanced at Ikuto along the way, and stopped when he finally shifted his position. His eyebrows creased, almost as if he was pained; his wounds were most likely hurting him. He turned his head, and shifted his arms.

Amu waited with anticipation for him to open his eyes, but he simply squinted them, and continued sleeping.

She rolled her eyes.

 _Lazy cat._

Although, that was the first time Amu had seen him shift his position since he'd fallen asleep. Perhaps he was having a dream.

Even a nightmare.

 _Was that even possible for someone like Ikuto?_

 _Doubtfully_.

Amu finally arrived at the thermostat, and cringed. 72 degrees? Much, much too cold. She turned it up a few degrees.

She heard a noise behind her, a sort of brushing noise. She turned around, and peered over the edge of the couch. Ikuto's face was no longer serene in his deep sleep.

His brow was wrinkled, and his jaw was taut. His body was now stiff and rigid, and his fingers twitched as if they were awake, but his mind was not responding.

Amu stared at him, baffled.

 _Is it possible?_

 _Is Tsukiyomi Ikuto having a… nightmare?_

He suddenly clutched nearly directly where he'd been shot. His face looked so pained – like he was in anguish and agony.

Amu wanted so badly to reach out and touch him.

She wanted to comfort him. She wanted to hold him in her arms and whisper in his ear that everything was alright. But more than anything, she wanted to know what he was so afraid of.

Just what could Ikuto Tsukiyomi, master of façades, possibly have nightmares of?

Suddenly, Ikuto shot up, breathing heavily.

Amu's heart stopped. She clutched her chest tightly, where her breath had disappeared. She looked intently at Ikuto's face.

For fleeting moments, he looked shocked beyond belief… almost scared?

"Are you… are you okay? God, you scared me half to death…" Amu breathed, still clutching her fluttering stomach tightly.

He looked up at her, breathing normally, and returning back to his expressionless face. He ran a hand through his hair, and tried his best to look indifferent.

"…I had a weird dream," he said bluntly.

She too, ran a hand through her hair, in flustered frustration.

"Don't scare me like that," she said, shifty-eyed.

She walked over to the kitchen, cold feet sliding against the kitchen tiles.

"You must be hungry," she said, in a much softer tone. "I made you some soup."

She pulled the small bowl out of the refrigerator, and placed it on the counter, shutting the fridge door with her foot. She placed it in the microwave for a minute or two then took it out when it was ready. The room was silent – Ikuto was busy trying his muscles; twisting his torso and rotating his injured arm, while Amu was bringing out his food to the living room. Just when she set it on the table, Ikuto said,

"Do you frequently watch people when they sleep?"

She looked at him incredulously.

"W-what?"

"That's a bad habit, Amu," he said casually.

"I do _not_ watch people sleep," she snapped, trying her hardest to hide her blush. "Call me strange, but when someone gets shot, I tend to worry about them a _little_ bit."

Ikuto kept silent after she said it, keeping his eyes trained on the soup. Amu followed his gaze, and rolled her eyes.

"Feel free to eat it whenever you please. I was simply trying to keep you from starving to death," she said sarcastically.

To her surprise, he simply let out a devious smirk, and said nothing.

By this time, she would've expected some sort of devilish comment, perverted in some way or another. But he simply kept silent.

Amu assumed her usual position on the edge of the coffee table, and looked at him expectantly.

"So? How do you feel?"

"Fine."

She rolled her eyes.

"That's what you said after you got shot. Dummy," she sighed.

He shrugged, and looked at the floor. She sighed at his obliviousness, and looked at him.

"Take off your shirt."

His eyes shot her direction, and a just barely noticeable smirk came across his face as he looked the other way.

"I didn't think you were like that, Amu."

She paused, thinking.

Then it hit her.

"Why y – ugh, you idiot! Grow up!" she yelled, flustered.

He smirked, and even let out a little chuckle.

Amu watched him with glaring daggers as he slipped his black shirt over his head, and tossed it on her hardwood living room floor. She examined his wounds thoroughly, all the while thinking of just how much of an idiot he was.

But as much as he teased her, and as much as she hated it…

She had to admit, it was a little nice to see him back to his old self.

She had missed his devious smirk. She had missed his perverted teasing. She had even, the slightest bit, missed the blush that floated across her cheeks when he'd make her mind wander.

But she _refused_ to let _him_ see that.

"Utau said that you had an good life in France." Amu blinked, not expecting those words to fly out of her mouth. Ikuto held a similar look of surprise. Amu decided just to continue with her statement, knowing that she couldn't ignore it. "When I asked her why she didn't tell me you were back, she was completely clueless. She's worried, you know? Couldn't you get better care with her?"

Amu had contacted Utau a day or two after Ikuto had been staying with her, hoping to get answers after his sudden reappearance, but she was only faced with equal amount of confusion and surprise.

Ikuto said nothing, he didn't even flinch. Amu was hesitant, but she boldly confronted the mystery that had been on her mind since he appeared.

She didn't understand him. Why would he be wasting time here when he had such a thriving life in France?

"Why are you still here, when there's so much more for you out there?"

Her voice was uncontrollably shaky, and she didn't know why. Something about it all made a deep emotion swell up within her, and she didn't know what it was. But it was strong – stronger than she was able to handle.

 _What is wrong with you, Amu?_

She shook her head and smirked, brushing it off.

She stood up and walked into the kitchen, noticing how dark it had become within the past few moments. The sunset was almost completely gone now, and the house was dark and almost completely shadowed. Feeling useless, she began washing the dishes in the sink by hand.

She sighed lightly, relieving the air of some of the tension that she had exerted with her harsh tone a few moments ago. Doing something with her hands put her at peace, and her strong emotion slowly died down.

"I just don't understand you people," she said, contemptuous, but still soft. "You have everything in your wildest dreams right at your fingertips, yet you blow it all on something so trivial. I'd do anything to be in your position."

Ikuto was still silent. Amu was facing away from him, and despite the strong urge to turn around, and to see what his expression looked like, she refused to give in to the pressure.

Suddenly, she was yanked out of her thought when she felt firm hands on both shoulders. She turned her head, but was nearly prohibited by a face right next to hers.

"I-Ikuto –"

"I'd think saving your life is a little more than _trivial_. Don't you think, _Amu_?"

His sparkling indigo eyes bore directly into hers, taking her aback. The handsome smirk was plastered all over his gaze, and try as she might, Amu couldn't pull herself away.

She'd forgotten how exhilarating it felt to be this close to him.

His nose nearly touched the tip of hers, and his warm breath tingled on her face. She could almost feel the sensation of what it would feel like his face pressed to hers. And his smell...

He suddenly backed away, setting his empty bowl on the counter.

Amu, however, was much too dazed to notice.

She didn't even have the sensibility left to mentally scold herself, or even to scream at her mind to snap out of it. She was completely lost in thought. She turned her dizzy gaze to Ikuto, leaning against her counter, staring at the floor. His voice was low and soft.

"I guess my fingertips couldn't quite reach everything _beyond_ my wildest dreams."

And at that moment, Amu saw a glimmer of the man she'd grown to love in his expressionless eyes. That was the moment that the stillness in Amu's life was shaken from its slumber.

And for that one fleeting moment, she felt like dancing. She felt like painting. She felt like cooking.

Had she finally found her lost dreams?

She smiled.

Perhaps.

But she knew now that one dream was never lost at all; and that dream stood before her, embodied in tainted, bruised flesh and a clever smirk.

* * *

 **A/N: SO. FREAKING. LONG. My hand is cramping right now and I think I have a** **migraine. I don't think I'm gonna be updating for a while with this one, but I'll see what i can do. But thanks for all the reviews and support so far!**

 **Yours Truly,**

 **SilverSpark101**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: And I'm back! Don't worry, no more migraine's or hand cramps. Buuuut, I do have a surprise for you in this chapter. Let's just say this chapter throws in a big twist ;). So please read and review!**

 **Disclaimer: SilverSpark101 does not own Shugo Chara or any of the characters.**

 **Chapter 8: _Relatives_**

* * *

 _"Lies and secrets are like cancer in the soul._

 _They eat away what is good and leave only destruction."_

* * *

Amu had awakened Sunday morning with a bizarre spectrum of emotions.

A major feeling of sleep-deprivation, with a slight dash of strange refreshment, mixed together to create some sort of lethargic dizziness.

She hadn't gotten any sleep _whatsoever_ the night before – it was if her mind was jumbled and clouded with thoughts just standing in a line, waiting impatiently to be thought of. She'd get up, pace around her room, pace into the kitchen, and pace back, not daring to take a glance at Ikuto, in fear that he would be awake. Her mind had felt as if it was about to explode with a dangerous overload of thought.

But not anymore. Now, it was as if her mind was completely void of thought.

Furthermore, she didn't have the energy to even _try_ to think.

As of yesterday, her body's minimum energy was completely, totally and wholesomely sucked dry. As of that very moment, she was nearly burning the eggs that she was trying to cook. Her eyelids kept sliding down momentarily, and her eyes rolled into the back of her head. She just barely felt alive. Then, some sort of disturbing noise or interruption would snap her out of her sleepy daze.

She admitted it. Caring for Ikuto was more than her little world could handle.

Nevertheless, she did everything she could – after all, he'd saved her life.

 _Oh, dear God, that excuse was getting so old._

"Good morning," she said dryly, as Ikuto came walking slowly out of her bedroom.

Once again, his hair was wet with water droplets, luckily caught by the towel slung around his neck. He wore the same thin, black jeans. His fair, muscular chest was shirtless, tainted with gruesome bruises and hideous gunshot holes by his legs.

Amu cringed visibly every time she saw his chest and leg; it was a horrible reminder of how much pain he'd endured to keep her safe.

"How did you sleep?" She questioned absent-mindlessly, sliding the eggs around in the hot pan.

She didn't really have any idea what she was saying – at times like these, she trusted her sensible judgment to create sentences for her. But as tired as she was, she questioned just how sensible that judgment was.

"Hm," a voice suddenly blew into her ear. "Wouldn't you like to know."

Suddenly, Amu's dead nerves sprang to life.

She snapped out of her trance with a start, and her hand impulsively shot to her tingling ear.

She heard a low snicker resound behind her, and she whirled around to glare at the perverted cat-man leaning against her kitchen counter.

"You idiot." She growled.

He hadn't changed. Not one bit.

Ikuto was still smirking, sending her a rigorous, mischievous stare with his cobalt indigo eyes, and speaking in a low, clear voice that shot chills up her spine.

"You still have those sensitive ears, don't you, _Amu_?"

Amu whirled around once more, just in time to save the omelet in the pan from burning. She convinced herself as hard as she could that the hot burners on the stove were to blame for the heat on her cheeks.

"You haven't changed either, pervert," she muttered, trying her best to sound indifferent.

He let out an amused chuckle.

"Touché."

Amu's morning had been officially turned around.

Her head was filled with every thought imaginable: irrelevant things, frightening things, hilarious things, even – she shuddered – naughty things.

Amu brushed off every thought, and finished cooking to complete the breakfast for two – scrambled eggs, microwaved bacon, and her personal favorite, strawberries. She didn't know why she loved them so much, but part of it was because people often associated her to a strawberry simply because of her bright, vibrant pink hair.

She placed each food on a plate in a haphazard fashion, and practically shoved it at Ikuto's chest.

"Here. Eat it." She ordered bluntly.

"And if I don't?" He mused.

Amu grabbed whatever utensil that was nearest to her, in this case - a spoon, and pointed it dangerously at him.

"Eat. It." She almost snarled.

"Are you threatening me with a spoon?"

"Shut up and eat it."

Ikuto smirked at her, and obeyed.

When her plate was complete, she turned around to get a fork from the silverware drawer, only to find a large bundle of man blocking her way. Amu glared at Ikuto. He simply waited patiently, an amused smirk on his smug face and mischievousness dancing in his navy blue eyes.

"Move," she finally growled reluctantly.

"Make me."

"You're injured. You don't want me to." She retorted with a smug smirk of her own.

When he looked down on her with a smirk of defiance, and still would not budge, she sighed, as if she was giving in – but this war was far from over. She simply sidestepped, and moved tactfully behind him, tightly sandwiching herself between the island and Ikuto's back. She felt awkwardly nervous pressed up against his back – she'd missed the times she'd been pressed to him so closely. It was only then that she noted how firm his back muscles felt against hers – however, she was extremely careful not to touch her own to his, making it even more uncomfortable.

She huffed in frustration.

"Ikuto," she said through clenched teeth, trying her best to sound sweet.

"Yes, Amu?" He questioned innocently.

" _Move_."

"As you wish," he sighed but a faint grin was evident on his face.

Suddenly, Amu felt his backside press against hers even further, and his arms drifted behind him and clutched the island, completely cornering her between a rock – a very stubborn, stupid cat-rock – and a hard place.

"I-Ikuto…!"

She cringed. Try as she may, she could not prevent her tiny, firm butt cheeks from touching his. Their bodies were perfectly aligned; like two pieces of the same very confusing puzzle. She huffed in frustration, and in very thorough embarrassment. All she wanted… was a fork. Now look what she got – an Ikuto, Amu, and counter top sandwich.

She could only fume with frustration at what Ikuto's expression was most likely like at that moment – with that stupid cat-like grin all over his smug face. Sometimes she just wanted to smack it off.

She took in a deep breath, calming her nerves.

She took another one.

And another.

Oh, how Ikuto's smell did wonders to her nerves.

"Ikuto…" She said sweetly, her tone dripping with sarcasm.

"Hmm?" He muttered, probably stuffing his face with _her_ breakfast.

She clenched her teeth.

"I'm going to need a fork. From this drawer. Which I am blocking."

"Then don't block it."

It took everything within her not to blow up in his smug, sarcastic face.

"Would you just move, idiot?" She snapped, her tone rising.

"No."

She was about to smash her fist against his arm, but she remembered – he's injured. _Damn those stupid injuries._

She sighed, suddenly calming down. There was one solution to this problem, and as much as she hated to do it, she knew it had to be done, because _somebody_ couldn't handle being bossed around.

Her cheeks blushed a deep scarlet. She clenched her fists, and mustered up every strength left in her body. She was going to need it.

"Please move…" She hesitated, then muttered barely audibly, "…Ikuto- _koi_."

Amu wanted to slap herself. She couldn't believe she'd actually said it. She couldn't believe she was back to being treated like a child again.

Nevertheless, she felt the pressure being lifted from her back, and his arms lifted from the counter. But somehow, she felt no relief whatsoever.

Long, lean, muscular arms wrapped around her neck loosely, and she tried to pay them no attention – but it was somewhat hard to when Ikuto's bare chest was pressed up against her back. She blushed at the contact. His smell wafted through her nostrils as she breathed deep; she had nearly forgotten how dizzy it made her feel.

She rolled her eyes, and opened the silverware drawer casually, pulling out a fork.

"As you wish, _Amu_."

"Moron," she seethed, slipping out of his arms, trying to hide her blush.

It was amazing to her how he hadn't changed at all in the years she'd known him; even in the years she'd been separated from him. When he'd first set foot into her house, he was quiet and withdrawn – now, he was just as obnoxious and flirtatious as he had been, as if nothing ever happened.

Contrary to his belief, Amu was not as vulnerable as she once was. Unlike him, she couldn't, and wouldn't act like nothing had happened.

"I see you're doing better today," she said bluntly, keeping her eyes on her food.

Ikuto said nothing.

Amu finally obtained the guts to look up at him. His face was stone solid once more, staring at his plate.

 _God, is he bipolar or what?_

But she was beginning to see a pattern in his behavior. Every time Amu would mention something of his injuries, or something of Friday night, he would clam up and keep silent.

Interesting behavior.

Not that she blamed him.

"I'll put new bandages on when I'm done," she said, bringing a bite of her omelet to her mouth.

He stared at her with narrow eyes, twinkling with a devious gleam.

Finally, Amu shot him an angry glare.

"Are you gonna stop staring at me or what?" She said harshly, squeaking accidentally.

Her wide golden eyes flared with an innocent embarrassment, disguising itself as anger.

He simply grinned.

"As you wish."

* * *

It was nearly three in the afternoon and Amu could almost feel the weight of her shoulders pulling her down. She had just finished cleaning the whole house by herself and Ikuto was, once again, laying lazily on the living room couch.

She sighed as she put away her cleaning equipment into the closet near the kitchen.

That's when she heard something.

She slowly shuffled to the living room as she stretched her ears to find the area where the noise was created.

She heard it again.

A knock.

She looked through the hall and could barely make out a silhouette of a man moving around through the shutters of the front door.

She wasn't expecting company. Her mother and father weren't here and she hadn't spoken to anyone other than Utau since graduation. But the man standing outside her house was clearly not a 22 year old blond women.

She felt a sudden surge of panic in her stomach.

The first thing that came to her mind was one of those thugs on the street.

Another knock.

She didn't know what to do.

"Ikuto…!" She whispered and started shaking him harshly.

He wasn't waking up and the knocks were growing faster and impatient.

"I-Ikuto…" she whimpered softly as she clutched unto his arm.

Her knees were knocking, and her hands were shaking. Should she open the door?

She didn't know if she was just being paranoid or cautious. Ikuto couldn't be seen. But she wanted to badly for his comfort and protection.

Amu slapped her own wrist. She was being a complete coward.

Suddenly, she found her hand on the doorknob. She breathed in sharply.

The door flew open.

There, before her eyes, stood a man.

Dark obsidian hair. Pale, luminous skin. Vibrant, bronze-yellow eyes. The man was nearly as tall as Ikuto. He wore a formal suit and glasses.

The man grinned, sending chills up her spine.

"Hello, Hinamori Amu."

The man in the door flashed a sinister grin.

Amu looked at the man incredulously.

She didn't know this man.

So how did he know her?

Suddenly, as soon as he'd uttered the words, Amu felt a firm jerk on her shoulder, wrenching her several paces back. She let out a muted cry, toppling back unsteadily, but felt another hand on her back to steady her.

Before Amu could even comprehend what was going on, Ikuto stood directly before her, his broad back spread before her. His tense arm was poised steadily in the air, guarding her.

Amu was stunned. She didn't know what to think.

There, at her door, was a man who looked freakishly similar to Ikuto, staring her down with menacing, gleaming yellow eyes.

Ikuto had appeared out of nowhere, forcing her behind him and protectively setting an arm before her. His shoulders were tense and his jaw clenched.

Amu stared with wonder at his eyes.

For the first time in a long time, Ikuto's eyes looked entirely – and almost frighteningly – dark. Intense. _Angry_. She could nearly feel the ominous aura directed at the man in the doorway.

She took a long, hard glance at the man, slightly fearful of the way Ikuto was acting towards him.

Suddenly, the man's smirk broadened into a sinister widespread grin. His menacing eyes shone intensely, glowing with a spine-chilling topaz light.

"So, you're still this protective over her, are you, Ikuto?"

" _Leave_." Ikuto suddenly growled.

Amu jumped.

Ikuto's voice sounded tense and vicious. She hardly recognized it as his.

Amu was beginning to feel weak in her knees. She was beginning to get scared.

He knew her name. Her full name.

And he was looking her over, up and down, as if he was surveying her as a prize or something.

She felt a twinge of fear in the pit of her stomach. Unconsciously, she sidestepped further behind Ikuto. Somehow, her hand drifted upward, clinging to Ikuto's arm tightly, supporting her weak knees.

"How does he know your name?" She whispered, her voice quivering. "How does he know _my_ name…?"

"Those are good questions, lady. And I can answer them –"

"Get the _hell_ out of here," Ikuto growled.

Amu jumped; her other hand sprung to Ikuto's arm, clutching tightly. Now she was scared beyond belief. His voice had never sounded so hateful.

 _Why is Ikuto acting this way?_

The man in the doorway raised his eyebrows at the outburst, and suddenly, he let out a sigh, smirking.

"Fine, fine," he sighed.

And with that, he took a step back outside.

"How many did you send…?" Ikuto's gravelly, angry voice resounded from his still figure.

The man outside her house stopped, and twitched his head towards the door.

Amu looked up at Ikuto's face. She'd never seen Ikuto this way before. Never. He'd always seemed so casual and composed, hiding his true feelings from the world.

Now, his muscles were tight and clenched, his eyes were menacing and threatening, and he spread his arms out before Amu protectively. His dark midnight eyes glowed with an intense fire; narrowed, yet wide and vicious. The vein in his neck protruded, thumping with every pump of adrenaline that flowed through his blood. His face was taut and angry – almost as if he was afraid.

She could've been mistaken, but she could've sworn she saw his lip tremble.

Her back arched sharply. Just the thought sent a cold shiver up her spine.

The man in the hall smirked widely, and faced the two once more, leaning his shorter, muscular frame against the doorway.

"None," he enunciated with a smirk.

Ikuto's shoulders shook, face shadowed with his indigo bangs. His arm was still stationed protectively before Amu, and his eyes were still dark and livid – but a twisted grin spread slowly across his face. He looked on the verge of a mental breakdown.

"Of course you did," he laughed sadistically.

Amu shivered, staring up at Ikuto, trying to break through to him somehow.

Ikuto was not himself. It scared her.

"I suppose you won't believe me without proof…" The man sighed, running a hand through his unruly indigo hair.

He hesitated, training his eyes on the kitchen counter momentarily, as if thinking deeply. Finally, he suddenly flashed Amu a handsome smile.

"I knocked, didn't I?" He winked.

And just then, he didn't seem so menacing to Amu after all.

Ikuto's expression hadn't changed since the moment the man had arrived. Angry, livid, and dark, filled with angst and nervousness. There was a still silence in the room, and Amu couldn't take it anymore. She wanted answers; she wanted them _now_.

"Who is he?" She whispered so that only Ikuto could hear.

He slowly, robotically turned his head, and looked at her, dramatically softening his gaze.

For fleeting moments, as he looked into Amu's eyes, she could have sworn she saw a hint of worry and…

Fear?

"Ah, sorry," the man at the door interrupted their gaze. He looked at Amu apologetically. "I guess I didn't introduce myself or any of that junk, did I? I'm Sou. Sou Nakamura."

Amu peered out from behind Ikuto a little, staring at the man nervously. She still didn't know what to think. Ikuto's behavior had shaken her quite a bit. But despite his behavior, Amu's good judgment found no fault in this man. But he was still high up on her suspicion.

She stepped out from behind Ikuto, relaxing her firm grip on his arm. Only then did she realize how tightly she'd clung to him.

She didn't know what had propelled her to hold him so tightly… but she felt comforted when she knew that he was beside her.

Feeling a sudden boost of adrenaline and bravery, she parted her lips, inhaling deeply, readying her alertness.

"Why are you here?" She questioned lowly, unconsciously taking on the same hostile nature of Ikuto. "How do you know who I am? How do you know where I live?"

Her tone was steadily rising, as was her anger. She repeated over and over in her head with a strong determination:

 _Whatever you do, Amu, do_ _not_ _go soft._

"Now, take it easy," the man said, putting his hands up. "I didn't come here to hurt you. I came here to help."

"Then answer me," she snapped icily.

Amu glared at the man in the doorway, thoroughly confused and angry, but he simply smirked right back, making her even more irate.

Ikuto didn't look at her. He didn't even acknowledge her presence. Though it had seemed all too impossible, the muscles in his body tensed further. His dark eyes had not left Sou.

And Sou was smirking back at him.

It was as if they were communicating to each other in some sort of code – death glares. Ikuto's was filled with fury and built-up anger. Sou's was more sarcastic, as if mocking his anger; still, sinister. They glared at each other for what seemed like hours.

Amu didn't know how much more of the silence she could take.

Ikuto, however, was more than satisfied, despite what the expression on his face let on; as long as he could chase Sou out of Amu's house.

Sou met his glare head-on. He was never one to back away from a fight. But nevertheless, this time he was the first to back down from the challenge.

He sighed, giving both Amu and Ikuto apologetic smiles.

"I know my coming here seems… suspicious," he said quietly, finally looking away from the two.

He scratched his head, causing a few spiky blue hairs in the back to stand slightly.

"I'm… not here to cause trouble. I'm not here to blackmail anyone, to kidnap anyone, or to steal anything."

He ruffled his hair, chuckling to himself lightly.

"In fact, I don't really know why I'm here."

Amu and Ikuto just stared at him, listening closely. Amu was attentive and understanding – Ikuto face was still dark and shadowed by his long indigo bangs.

Amu felt compelled to say something to him. But she said nothing, watching the man carefully.

Albeit mischievous, his eyes had dulled down dramatically to a gentle topaz glow. He looked up, and smirked softly at Ikuto.

"I guess I just wanted to see you again." His smirk broadened. "It's been a while, huh, Ikuto?"

And at those words, Ikuto's eyes softened vividly. They still held hints of doubt and anxiety, but they no longer held such anger and darkness. His words also confirmed the belief that the two knew each other.

Amu looked up at him.

This was the most emotion she'd seen him display in a long time.

Amu then looked at Sou.

"So I get that you know Ikuto," She started, "But, how in the _world_ do you know who _I_ am?"

She tried to keep her tone as calm as possible. Sou just looked at her incredulously.

"Well, that's an easy one. Ikuto talked about you twenty-four –"

" _Sou._ "

Ikuto's clear-cut voice rang lowly through their ears. Sou cringed, and tilted his head, wiggling his ear uncomfortably.

"Do you always have to be so obnoxious?" He groaned hoarsely.

"I could ask you the same question," Ikuto muttered irritably.

Finally, Ikuto lowered his protective arm from Amu's waist, and she looked up at him.

It was only then that she realized just how heroic Ikuto really was.

As cheesy and cliché as it sounded, Ikuto had literally materialized before her – faster than she could comprehend – at the smell of danger. And at the speed of light, he'd surrounded her with a strong, unrelenting, protective embrace.

She inwardly pounded her forehead into her hand.

"But still," she persisted, shaking off her stupid thoughts. "How did you know… where I _live_?"

He just stared at her, as if she should know all this already. She simply folded her arms, tapped her foot, and waited. Sou leaned against the doorway again, crossing his arms like Amu.

"I did some research on who you are, and where you live." He smirked.

Amu's jaw dropped.

"W-what? You did _research_ on my _personal_ life?" She squawked.

Sou sighed, scratched his head, and began speaking.

"Well, see, there's this –"

"How do you know Ikuto?" She stopped him abruptly.

He raised his eyebrows briefly, and smiled big.

"What, you mean he hasn't told you?" He shot Ikuto an accusing smile – Ikuto looked away, still angry and anxious. Amu, however, was more confused than ever.

Sou shrugged his shoulders, grinning wildly at Amu.

"We're cousins."

* * *

 **A/N: So? What do you think? I added another character in for the fun of it but I don't know if it'll work. I'm planning on experimenting with the plot with him. But any ways please review and support. The next chapter will hopefully come out soon.**

 **Yours Truly,**

 **SilverSpark101**


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: So. I'm back again with the next chapter. Ikuto's past might have not been finished just yet, and it's come back to bite him. Amu's getting pulled into it and Ikuto's running out of options. So, what's he gonna do? Hehe. Don't worry, I'm not crazy. :p.**

 **Disclaimer: SilverSpark101 does not own Shugo Chara or any of the characters.**

 **Chapter 9: _Changes_**

* * *

 _"Forgiving does not erase the bitter past. A healed memory is not a deleted memory. Instead, forgiving what we cannot forget creates a new way to remember._

 _We change the memory of our past as a hope for our future."_

* * *

 _"We're cousins."_

Amu blinked.

She let out a bitter laugh.

 _This had to be a joke right?_

But as she turned to look at Ikuto, the expression on his face said otherwise.

Amu lost all the breath in her lungs as her jaw dropped.

 _Cousins?_

She could feel the tears burning in her eyes, but it wouldn't fall. Right when she thinks that she has Ikuto all figured out, he just goes and surprises her again.

Amu didn't know what to think anymore.

* * *

"So you work at _Easter?_ " Amu questioned, pouring dark, steamy liquid into a mug.

She slid the cup of coffee across the island, immediately pouring a second cup.

"Yeah, something to do with some family debt - thanks," Sou muttered, accepting the mug graciously.

"Family debt?" Amu turned her head to him.

Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Ikuto react from the couch for the first time since she'd invited Sou in to sit down.

He sat on the couch, facing away from them, _sulking._

Like a _child._

However, when Sou had mentioned this "family debt", he'd appeared to finally be at least acknowledging their conversation. Amu returned her gaze to Sou, who looked suddenly exceedingly uncomfortable. His normally bright, mischievous topaz eyes were now clouded with worry.

But to her relief, he looked up at her with a slightly diffident smile.

"I guess so. Something like that. It's an ancestor thing." He flailed his arms in front of him. "Been going on for generations or something."

He took another gulp of his coffee.

"This is delicious, by the way."

Amu believed that he was trying to change the subject.

She sighed.

After all this time, she finally thought that she was done with Easter and their troublesome games; but apparently, she was wrong, _again._

It turns out after Hikaru, Easter's former boss, had went back to being a normal child again, with the help of Amu and the guardians, Kazuomi Hoshina had officially taken over. His evil thoughts had all but disappeared from his mind.

Amu took a sip of the steaming black liquid in her large, yellow mug, and her lips pursed at the bitter taste. She greatly preferred tea over coffee, but occasionally, she drank the pungent black liquid simply because she wanted to. In addition, she didn't want to seem wimpy by making tea instead of drinking manly coffee in a semi-serious conversation with a secret agent.

"Is that why you're here?" She said quietly.

She was almost afraid that he would answer honestly. He looked slightly taken aback by the question, so she repeated it. This time her voice was more firm.

"Are you here because of Easter? Did you come to get Ikuto?"

She didn't know why, but her voice cracked when she said his name. The same strange, heavy feeling tugged at her heart, painful and stinging. Why had it come back now? She had no idea.

But it couldn't possibly be because she wanted him to stay.

Of course not.

 _Right?_

"Well…" Sou started, scratching his head.

Suddenly, a loud clattering in the corner of the kitchen broke through the awkward silence of the conversation. Amu jumped, and whirled around. She took one look at the ground, and gaped in irritable shock.

Ikuto simply looked at her dully, and muttered, "Trashcan's full."

Amu stormed over to the corner of the kitchen, muttering angry rants as she bent over to gather the garbage spilling over the full trash bag, directly on her precious white kitchen tiles.

Ikuto, of course, made no effort to help whatsoever. After all, it wasn't his fault that he'd placed one piece of trash in the garbage bag to cause the entire thing to explode. It wasn't his fault that the trashcan was filling up quicker than usual, due to the increasing amount of trash lately, consisting mostly of bloody bandages. It wasn't his fault that he'd went and gotten himself shot, just to save her sorry life.

It wasn't his fault that he'd left her to weep for five long, hard years.

Not at all.

Her heart felt heavy and pained again, and her hands quivered.

 _Nothing_ was his fault – because he was perfect.

Amu, however, was a disgusting creature, not meant to intermingle with the perfection of a creature like Tsukiyomi Ikuto. He was a perfect, flawless – she was a dirty, struggling citizen. She wasn't meant to be with him. The two of them were meant to be separate. He was created to stay far away from her, and she was created to worship at his feet. He was too good for her. She didn't deserve him.

 _She didn't deserve him._

Without thinking, Amu grabbed the trash bag in one haphazard fumble, and stormed quickly out of her apartment. Her footsteps were light and quick, and in a fluster, she almost broke out into a run. Hot, angry tears stung at her eyes, and she swiped them away furiously before they had a chance to fall. Her throat burned with the pressure of detained tears. She hated crying, and she refused to waste it over something so trivial and stupid.

But her feet wouldn't stop, and neither would her tears.

Amu burst out the door of her flat, instantly greeted by a stinging blast of icy autumn wind. She dashed into the alley behind the flat, shivering violently through the current of cold wind surrounding her.

And with a loud, violent motion, she threw open the trash bin, slammed the bag inside, and slammed the lid shut with a resounding, metallic thud. The noise echoed through the alley, reverberating through her pulsing head.

She stood there for a moment, breathing heavily, letting the cold autumn breeze sink into her red-tinted ivory skin. To her chagrin, hot tears still stung against her numbly cold cheeks. She no longer felt the energy to wipe them away. She breathed a heavy, shaky sigh, and placed her hands on the alley wall. She leaned over, letting her throbbing head dangle between her thin, frozen arms. The blood in her head stopped flowing, and her legs felt like lead.

Everything within her felt _pained._

She closed her eyes, and finally let the tears fall freely.

It had been so long since she'd cried.

Not since the months after he'd left.

 _Five years._

It felt no different than it had then. Painful, aching, excruciating - but unstoppable.

She opened her eyes, and watched the teardrops stain the concrete beneath her. Her cold, red fingers tingled against the alley wall, and she clenched her fists to return the blood flow.

She pounded her chest hard, mourning the ache in her lungs. Her vocal chords were strained and her lungs were filled with built-up tension.

But in the midst of all the heartache, the most painful aspect of her tears was that she was shedding them for the man that she swore she'd never cry for again.

Amu squeezed her eyes shut, trying her hardest to push his perfect image out of her head. It was impossible, and there _was_ harm in trying, so she stopped. She let her aching head be filled with his sweet voice, his perfect face, and the sound of his violin that made her heart stop.

But it was all going away. _He_ was going away - again. Once again, he was being taken away from her.

The burning fire of her tears licked at her mind, through her aching throat, directly to her heart.

More than ever, she wished the pain would stop thundering. More than ever, she wished to be held in the arms of the man she'd loved all along.

And more than ever, she just wished the tears would stop falling.

* * *

"What's eating her?" Sou trailed Amu with wide eyes, darting fluidly out the door.

Ikuto shrugged.

"She hates clutter."

He stood stoically, eyes fixated on the ground, hands in pockets.

His livid expression had dulled down dramatically. His eyes were solemn and serious, trained on the ground. Soumatched his solemn gaze, trying to make eye-contact. A smirk no longer ghosted his face. Neither said a word – only kept silent, communicating through unsaid words.

Ikuto just wanted his cousin to leave. To flee the country, and escape from his stupid step-father's clutches. But there was no chance of that happening. Sou's mother, like him, was forced to work for Easter because of a family debt. She meant too much to him, and he wasn't about to leave her behind to suffer the cruelty that her own brother dealt upon her.

Ikuto knew that Sou wasn't here to hurt them. He knew that he hated Kazuomi Hoshina with a passion, and that he would do everything in his power to defy him. But coming to Amu's apartment was no doubt risky. He had no purpose to come, other than to flaunt his rebellion to his boss. Ikuto didn't buy the lie of "just wanting to see his cousin". Despite the fact that he'd finally let his guard down, he was still suspicious of his intentions.

Ikuto wasn't deaf. He'd heard the knock on the door, and he'd probably suspected the same as Amu had – the same two idiots who'd tried to hurt her. He'd also heard Amu whimpering, breathing his name quietly after the knock on the door. That's why he was waiting behind the doorframe all along, preparing himself for the moment with which to strike the men that came through the door.

She sounded scared. That would _never_ happen again.

Sou looked at Ikuto expectantly, expecting a hostile question at any moment. Both of them knew that there was much to say – neither wanted to say it.

"How many are there?" Ikuto finally said lowly, after a prolonged silence.

"Too many." Sou sighed, releasing his uncomfortable tension. He ran a hand through his spiky blue locks. "They're all over the city. One of them is bound to pick up on it when they stick their nose in your past."

Sou looked up at his cousin solemnly, eyes narrowed and filled with anxiety.

"This is the most dangerous place you could do this, Ikuto. What the hell were you thinking?" His voice was hushed and low. "Why couldn't you just… do it and run?"

"I don't run anymore," Ikuto stated lowly.

"You _don't_? Or you _can't_?" He said heatedly.

Ikuto kept silent, staring blankly at the black kitchen countertop.

Sou stared at him angrily, but couldn't possibly feel anger.

Sou had no idea how it felt to love, but Ikuto did - and when Ikuto felt something, nothing and no one could come between him and his resolve to feel it.

Amu Hinamori. Strawberry pink hair, sparkling honey-golden eyes, resolved and determined personality. Ordinary, everyday 18-year-old woman, trying to get by in life. Totally impassive to love and happiness, because of a traumatizing incident five years ago. Just a normal, ordinary girl.

But to Ikuto, she was perfection.

Everything he lived and breathed for was her. Every time he slept, every time he dreamed, every time he breathed, she was on his mind.

But he had ruined it all. If he hadn't come back then none of this would've happened.

Amu would've finally been able to go to college. Live her life. But thanks to him, she had to stay here and take care of his sorry self.

Thanks to him, she was in danger.

Again.

Sou wasn't stupid. He saw the hint of sorrow in his eyes when her name was mentioned. He saw the way he daydreamed every time another woman tried to speak to him.

Ikuto wasn't as pokerfaced as he'd liked to believe.

And whether Sou liked to believe it or not, Amu Hinamori was still fresh in Ikuto's mind. Amu Hinamori still meant everything to Ikuto, and no one – not himself, not his cousin, not his sister, not even his own stepfather – could change that.

"I won't." Ikuto suddenly said.

Sou snapped out of his thought, and looked at Ikuto carefully. His eyes were filled with more determination than Sou had ever witnessed or felt in his life.

He flashed his gaze directly at Sou, who was taken aback. His voice came out low and clear; unwavering and determined.

"I _won't_ run again."

Sou stood abruptly, smirking to himself.

"Still stubborn, I see."

He glanced at him, the mischievous twinkle rejuvenated within his gleaming topaz eyes.

"Too stubborn to change." He shrugged defiantly. "Oh well. Mission failed."

Sou grinned rebelliously, placing his hands behind his head and staring at Ikuto with a one-eyed grin.

"Guess the Boss will be disappointed."

He whirled around, and opened the door. Ikuto seemed slightly startled, staring blankly at his cousin's back.

"You'd better brush up on those fighting skills if you're gonna stay put," Sou chuckled. "You don't want Amu thinkin' you're a softie."

"Who said I was fighting?" Ikuto said quickly, almost on the verge of a grin.

Sou stopped at the doorway, turned his head, and seemed to hesitate. Finally, he spoke quickly.

"Keep her safe, Ikuto. Hoshina's not stupid. He knows who she is, and he knows what she means to you. Watch the gate on the east side of town. His idiots should come in through there, and when the time comes, make sure you have a temporary safe house. That bastard will stop at nothing to make you reap what you've sowed; _especially_ if it means taking what you love most."

Suddenly, he turned and smiled, scratching his head.

"Well, it's been fun, cousin. Looks like another five years until we speak again."

Finally, Ikuto smirked at his younger cousin, relaxing his tense shoulders.

"Looks like it."

Sou took a step out the door, and waved a hand at his cousin.

"Later, Ikuto," he grinned. "And… take care. Take care of her."

And with those words, Sou slipped out of the house without a sound.

* * *

Amu walked slowly out of the alley, holding her stomach tighter than necessary.

She wanted to slap herself for not thinking to wear any form of warmth in the freezing autumn weather.

And yet, somehow, the cold didn't seem so unbearable. Her entire body was numb – all she could feel was the throbbing in her head, the sting in her throat, and the heavy ache in her gut. Her legs felt heavier than ever as she trudged back into her flat, holding her aching head and stomach tenderly.

For as long as she could remember, anger was her way of expressing her sorrow. Slamming things, breaking things, punching walls - thus, storming out of her kitchen and slamming the trash in the bin was not surprising behavior to her. She'd just had a terrible break-down, and the after-effects were finally beginning to set in; she felt like a complete and total idiot. She felt like a wimp, and she felt like a crybaby; and it all started because the trash in her kitchen spilled over.

 _You're such an emotional wreck, Amu._

But the same thought kept nagging at her brain, even though the tears were wiped away –

 _Are they really going to take Ikuto away?_

As hard as she tried to seem indifferent about it, she couldn't possibly lie to her own heart. It felt heavy and overwhelmed just thinking about him. Amu didn't know if she could handle losing him for the second time.

But she would have to.

 _You've been through it once, and you'll do it again._

She opened the door to her house, and was startled when she almost ran into a figure in her doorway.

She looked up through her blurred vision, and was taken aback to see Sou glaring at her.

"S-Sou," she breathed, hoping her tears were invisible. "L-leaving so soon?"

"It seems I've overstayed my welcome," he snapped. "Your foolish boyfriend has spunk, I'll give him that. But just remember, Hinamori Amu – this is not over. We will triumph. You will fail. End of discussion."

Amu's eyes widened.

Suddenly, his eyes darted to the street, and returned to her. He flashed her a small, barely noticeable wink and smile. As he brushed past her harshly, he muttered quietly –

"Take care of him, okay?"

– and walked down the street.

Amu stood there, bewildered.

 _What was that?_

She walked inside her flat, and peered outside the door, to see Sou's short, muscular figure in a circle of three men in black suits and sunglasses.

Without another word, she whirled around, and slammed the door behind her, breathing heavily.

Suddenly, the weight on her heart was gone. The heaviness in her head slowly disappeared. She almost felt the liberty to smile.

The warm heat of the apartment hit her like a ray of sun, instantly enveloping her in a warm, blissful feeling. She leaned back against the door, pulling her sleeves over her frozen hands. She breathed into her cotton-sweater hands, feeling suddenly lightheaded and carefree.

No doubt those men were from Easter. No doubt they had come for Ikuto. And no doubt Sou had just told them that Ikuto was nowhere to be found.

Sou had just saved her life. Sou had just saved Ikuto's life.

All with a speech, a smile, and a wink.

She grinned to herself. Despite being related to a useless idiot like Ikuto, Sou wasn't all that bad.

Amu put a finger to her lips, and unconsciously let out a small giggle – something she hadn't done in ages. Every burden and heaviness in her body had been lifted with a single small happenstance.

She was housing a careless cat. She was keeping crimes a secret from the police. She was hiding a vital key to an organization. And it felt _good_.

For the first time in a long time, she felt… content.

Almost happy.

With a small smile, Amu waved her limbs around quietly, returning the blood flow. She shook her head, returning her expression from its abnormally pleasant state. She clenched and unclenched her fists, finally feeling warmth in her numb fingers.

She stopped at her door, and breathed in and out several times.

She wiped beneath her eyes, removing smudged mascara, and combed through her hair, eliminating the tangles.

Amu sighed heavily, feeling suddenly hopelessly and completely idiotic. Nevertheless, it didn't stop her from feeling idiotically happy.

It was safe to say that her life had been officially turned around. For years, her very existence had been in a suspension of sleep – and Ikuto had been its official wake-up call. Now, fully awakened from her comatose, she felt a refreshment and stimulus like she'd never felt before.

And yet, something within told her that things were not going to stay this way. No, things were going to get much different.

Amu breathed a heavy sigh, running a hand through her hair, feeling as though her whole world was put into a new light.

But, she couldn't help but smile.

* * *

 **A/N: And there you have it! Chapter 9! Did you guys notice that Amu has a weird thing for tea? Hehe. So do I. ANYWAYS. Remember when I said I was gonna make this story ten shot? Welp, I changed my mind. I'm lookin at about 20-25 chapters long, so its gonna be a while before it all ends. OH! and by the way, the actions just getting started!**

 **Yours Truly.**

 **SilverSpark101**


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: Halo! Chapter 10 is here and ready for you to read. This chapter, Utau finally makes an appearance! I feel like I'm just stretching out the plot too much and not getting to the main point, but it might just be me. Anyways please read and review.**

 **Disclaimer: SilverSpark101 does not own Shugo Chara or any of the characters.**

 **Chapter 10: _Safe From the Storm_**

* * *

 _"We all face storms in life. Some are more difficult than others, but we all go through trials and tribulation._

 _That's why it's important to remember that after every storm, comes the rainbow."_

* * *

"He will see you now, Miss Hoshina."

The thin, statuesque blonde-haired idol stood slowly, brushing her skirt and straightening her collar. She slipped the pair of dark sunglasses onto her eyes.

She straightened her shoulders, breathed in, and pushed the double doors open.

She closed the door behind her.

"Utau." A low voice boomed.

The room was pitch black. The only sound was the _pitter-patter_ of the rain on the roof.

"So you still live. How nice."

"What do you want?" She snapped.

It was more of a demand than a question - something she learned from the man who stood before her.

Utau glared behind the dark glasses at the man hiding in the shadows.

Surely he knew how much the world hated him. Surely he knew how much she _despised_ him.

Nothing would atone for his despicable cruelty. He'd abused his authority over her brother and her, and now, Utau wanted nothing to do with him. She wished that he would die; that he would disappear off the face of the earth and leave her to live in peace.

"I want answers to every question that I ask of you," the guttural voice echoed.

 _Oh, he'll get answers._

 _Good ones._

"Where is Tsukiyomi Ikuto?"

Utau said nothing.

"Alright, another question." His chair swiveled around to face her. "Where, Utau, is your stupid, foolish brother, who has a debt to pay?"

Silence.

The downpour increased, and a flash of lightning illuminated the dark office. Utau captured a small glance of her step father's wrinkled, sadistic scowl.

She didn't care.

She wasn't afraid of him. Not anymore.

"…Hm. I thought you would've known. I suppose I'll just have to pay a visit to your dear mother."

Utau's poise snapped. Her nails dug into her skin.

"You wouldn't dare." Her strength was dissipating.

A low growl of thunder echoed across the city. The ground quivered, along with Utau's jaw.

"Wouldn't I?" He scoffed.

Utau sprang forward, ripping the sunglasses off her face. She'd worn them to hide her emotions from her stupid step father - now, she wanted him to see her face _clearly_. She slammed her fists on the desk, amethyst eyes flashing with fury.

" _You_ –"

"Brat."

The man whirled around in his seat, facing the dark skies outside the window.

"You _will_ tell me where that stupid boy is. If you don't…"

 _Crack_.

Her heart stopped at the loud thunder clap, striking fear in her chest like a gunshot.

"…Your mother will."

There was a loud _crack_ _,_ followed by the sound of broken glass.

There were hurried footsteps, another growl from the sky, and a loud _slam_ of closing doors.

Utau walked lithely down the darkened hallway. Her amaranthine eyes were dark and livid. She grunted in pain, unclenching her fists. Pieces of cracked sunglasses crumbled at her fingertips; she couldn't care less if her hands bled.

The blonde singer hurried down the stairs of the building. She wanted nothing more to do with this horrid place, nor that vile, revolting man. She just wanted to be free. She wanted everything to be normal again. She wanted to see her mother again.

She wanted to see her brother again.

Then, her head snapped up.

She knew Amu was taking care of Ikuto. She knew that Ikuto would be safe there. She knew the only choice she had to see her mother again was to turn him in.

She also knew that this all could of been avoided if he chose not to come back. To come back for a girl that he so loved.

She knew that if Amu wasn't here then none of this would've happened.

It brought fire to her eyes as she thought of her name

 _Amu Hinamori._

* * *

"Quit it, Ikuto."

 _Clink, clink, clink, clink –_

" _Ikuto_."

 _Clink, clink, clink –_

"…Please."

Ikuto smirked deviously.

"My, my. Desperate, are we? You don't have to _beg_ , Amu."

Amu looked up at him with an anger flashing in her golden eyes, portraying the irritation she'd felt since she got home from work. Ikuto had teased her, twisted her words, touched her, and teased her some more to her wit's end. But now…

 _Now…_

He was _this_ _close_ to _death._

"Shut up, pervert," she snapped monotonously, glaring at the fork in his hand, ready to strike if it touched the cursed plate again.

She was keeping her cool. She remained calm, she kept her composure in check, and she even attempted to ignore his stupidity. Little did she know, the stupidity of Ikuto was not to be ignored.

The stupidity of Ikuto was somehow… tempting. Which was exactly why Amu was getting so irately _annoyed_.

"Eat your food, moron," she demanded.

Like a mother. Like an angry mother to her bratty, perverted child.

Amu took one last bite of the macaroni and cheese in her bowl, before sighing and standing abruptly, setting her bowl in the sink.

She began cleaning of the table, picking up the empty bowl in front of Ikuto, and avoiding his sadistic smirk. She felt his dark eyes boring holes into her flesh as she walked across the kitchen lithely, setting the dishes into the sink and flexing her legs habitually.

Suddenly, a low rumble resounded across the city, shaking the house walls and rattling the dishes. Amu cringed, and to her chagrin, very, _very_ visibly.

 _Oh, no…_

Suddenly, she felt a tight, insistent embrace wrap around her waist, and was abruptly yanked back against a firm, warm body.

"Scared?" Echoed a husky whisper in her ear.

Amu stuttered, trying to squirm out of the annoying, warm, _annoying_ hold on her waist.

"N-no. That's so childish, moron."

"You never did seem quite as mature as others, Amu."

"Would you _shut_ _up_?" she squeaked angrily.

With a slight chuckle, the hold on her waist was released, and Amu snapped her gaze to the indigo-eyed culprit, smirking at her deftly.

"But it's so _fun_ ," he teased lingeringly.

Amu hesitated, but quickly recovered with a vicious sneer. She whirled around, breathing in and out slowly.

She remembered those words _oh_ -so-well.

She blushed a deeper shade of red; somewhat like what she was blushing now.

"S-stupid."

"Oh, am I?"

"Yes!" She snapped.

A loud growl erupted from the sky, nearly sending Amu off the ground. She gave a little jolt, however, and instantly regretted it. Ikuto laughed, walking into the living room, staring into her eyes with mischief. "Still not scared, Amu?"

"Definitely _not_. Is it so wrong to be startled by a loud noise?" She snapped.

Ikuto let out a low laugh, and reclined on the long leather couch. Amu continued washing the dishes, and kept a close, careful eye on the sarcastic musician, simultaneously keeping the other eye carefully trained on the window of her dimly-lit apartment.

The rain was coming down in buckets again, and flashes of lightning flickered across the blackened night sky, making Amu's stomach clench tightly. She gulped.

Lightning was always a telltale sign of…

She jumped at the sudden _crack_ that vibrated her apartment room violently.

 _Th-thunder…!_

Amu shuddered, maintaining her calmness and closing her eyes, so as to avoid seeing the vivid, intense flashes of lightning which foretold the loud claps of thunder.

Suddenly, one single resounding _crack_ shook the apartment violently, and immediately, the lights flickered faintly.

Amu let out a muted cry. She clung to the kitchen counter for dear life, closing her eyes and noting the sudden change of light behind her eyelids.

Begrudgingly, she opened her eyes... to blackness.

Blackness.

Fear and irritation suddenly found itself in the pit of her stomach.

 _…A power outage?_ _Seriously_ _?_

"God, stupid –"

 _CRACK_.

Amu let out a muted scream, and her heart nearly stopped. She grabbed the kitchen counter before her, sensing a shaky feeling coursing through her body. Her knees locked tightly, and her body stood rigid and stiff beside the kitchen counter.

She felt as if the lightning had stricken her directly.

The pitch blackness was closing in on her, sending swarms of horrible memories plaguing her conscience. She clenched her fists, squeezing her eyes shut, trying to block out the stinging memories, only to quake with fear at the next clap of thunder.

"Oh God," she breathed, "m-make it stop…"

Suddenly, Amu jumped faintly when her small body was yanked forward adamantly into a tight embrace. Arms wrapped around her, holding her tightly, yet gently and warmly. Only one man was capable of making her lose her own breath. Her cheek pressed against his pectorals, his arms wrapped gently around her hair.

Amu stopped whimpering. She was too shocked to make a sound.

"Don't move," Ikuto's low voice resounded from above her. "You'll hurt yourself."

Having trouble speaking, Amu simply nodded into his chest, breathing in the familiar, musky scent of the catlike boy. She heard a low growl of thunder, and a flash of light illuminated the darkness of the apartment, but Amu was not stirred.

She didn't jump; she didn't even tremble. Something within her felt safe in Ikuto's arms.

Her heart no longer felt heavy and pained – every ache within her was replaced with vibrant butterflies. She closed her eyes, and breathed in the moment. Her head swirled with emotion and more feeling than she could comprehend. She couldn't see him, but she knew that he'd never leave her – his embrace was firm and affectionate. She missed his embrace so much.

For once in so long, everything felt right.

Amu's eyes snapped open.

Ikuto released his tight hold of Amu, and whirled around to face the opposite direction. In the blackness, Amu could see nothing – all she was thinking about was the fact that Ikuto held her.

 _He held her._

Amu inwardly smacked herself.

But as hard as she tried to force the memory and the lingering tingle out of her system, she couldn't help but notice that his hand still clung tightly to her waist, as if protecting her from the thunder.

She nearly sighed. Why did the moment have to end?

She lazily snatched her cell phone from the counter, and held it up – 8:40. She let out an inward, frustrated sigh, clearing her throat and speaking as firmly as possible.

"It's late, anyway. I guess we should just try to get some sleep," She said.

"You don't have to try to hide it all."

The sudden response left Amu bewildered, almost fearful as to what he meant. She whirled around, and just barely made out his pale, luminous skin in the dim candlelight.

"What did you say?" She uttered incredulously.

His face became less visible with every step he took toward her. His quiet footsteps were drowned out by the heavy downpour, and eventually, Amu completely lost sight of him. A wave of nausea overcame her, and her breathing pattern sped. _Just what did he mean by that?_

"Ikuto…?" She whispered, solely for the purpose of calming her nerves.

Another crack of thunder interrupted the peace of the rain, and Amu lost control of her composure. She jumped, let out a muted scream, and shivered uncontrollably in the darkness.

She didn't know exactly what led her to behave this way during thunderstorms – it all started in her childhood, and since then, memories of that moment haunted her. She felt as if thunder and lightning threatened her – taunted her with the fact that she was alone.

She tried to shudder, but was prohibited by a firm hold around her arms. Amu looked up, astonished to find Ikuto's face inches from hers.

Then, his breath upon her face, he whispered three words, quieter than rain –

"You're not alone."

And she understood.

Her tenseness relaxed. Her heartbeat fell silent. Her breathing slowed, almost non-existent. She fell limp in his arms. He held her tightly, unremittingly, around her torso, ready and waiting for her to fall. And for once, Amu wasn't afraid to fall.

Thunder became silent – the only thing she could hear was the blood thumping through her ears. Surely he could hear her heartbeat.

But she didn't care.

The slow, steady pattern of his breathing lulled her eyes closed, and she breathed in deeply. His scent was intoxicating. His embrace was so warm.

Everything about this moment made Amu smile.

The fact that she swore she'd never fall for him again. The fact that she'd always hated it when he'd hold her too close, because she feared her cheeks were flushed like a tomato. The fact that his scent made her dizzy. The fact that his deep indigo eyes were like vacuums, pulling her deeper and deeper into his innermost thoughts.

However, she couldn't help but think that this was how it ought to be.

Suddenly, the warmth faded. Her smile vanished. She opened her eyes.

 _…Ikuto?_

Her body felt bare and revealed. Her skin felt cold. And very quickly, her fear of darkness began to overwhelm her once more. She froze into a state of rigid panic, ready and waiting for the thunder to pierce the fabric of her composure.

But instead of thunder… very faintly, Amu heard the low, colorful tone of a violin.

She shivered, listening to the instrument live for the first time in years.

But she didn't recoil. She didn't cover her ears. She didn't block out the sound.

In fact, the musical sound made her stomach flutter.

She searched the blackness intently, and found Ikuto reclining against the wall, arm poised in the air. The bow in his hand moved gently and slowly across the strings, creating a vibrated tone that sliced through Amu's head. She felt as if she was being taken to another world – Ikuto's world.

She could smell the fresh air and the ancient aroma. She could feel the cool breeze that blew through her hair. She could see the cobblestone, the bright greenery, the beautiful flowers… and the breathtaking fountain.

And with that image in her mind, she smiled.

For the next forever, Ikuto played for Amu, never ceasing to pour out his soul into the violin. He never played half-heartedly – especially not for her.

He watched her carefully, taking in every detail, engraving it into his memories forever. The way her thin, delicate figure arched to perfection; the blissful expression cascaded across her face that he hadn't seen in years; the dim candle light that glowed upon her luminous, soft skin.

He cursed himself; took a step back.

 _Restrain_.

Suddenly, before either of them could blink, the door slammed against the wall of the apartment. The bow screeched across the strings.

The violinist and the girl just stared, dumbfounded.

"…Utau?"

A flash of bright, luminous blonde flew in Amu's direction, and before she could comprehend what was going on, she raised her hand into the air and caught a firm, balled fist.

Amu was in shock.

The narrow, fiery glare in Utau's amethyst eyes startled her. Amu did a double-take over the situation, occurring faster than a blink.

She almost believed she was hallucinating, were it not for the very real singing star pressing against Amu's palm with her own fist, glaring into her eyes.

Did Utau just attempt to… attack her?

"…Utau, what are you –"

Suddenly, Utau yanked Amu forward by the collar of her oversized shirt that once belonged to her father. Amu immediately reacted, smacking Utau's furious grasp away with the back of her hand.

Amu's eyes widened with panic, shrinking beneath the intensity of Utau's glare.

It had all happened so fast, Amu didn't know what to think. Why was Utau so livid? The burning, angry expression engraved into her eyes was the exact same look she wore five years ago, every time Amu met her gaze. They had been enemies back then – but that was all over with now. Now, Utau was one of Amu's closest friends.

So _why_ … was she so angry? Why did she try to attack her?

Amu inhaled sharply, stepping back quickly, stalked by Utau, pointing a finger in her face.

"This is your fault." Utau growled, forcing Amu's body to slam tightly against the wall. "This is all your fault!"

"Utau," Amu breathed, just as angry as the blonde, "what's wrong with you?"

The idol's expression turned into one of sheer panicked anguish, and she shoved Amu's shoulder against the wall that she was already pressed up against. Amu's head throbbed with the sudden slam against the wall - the breath was knocked out of her. She couldn't recover fast enough to defend herself.

"Utau, please, let me –"

"Where is he?!" The blonde spat. "Tell me where he is!"

Suddenly, a firm grasp clamped itself onto Utau's arm. The blonde idol suddenly grew deathly pale, and her eyes went from narrow and livid to wide and frightened.

She looked up, startled beyond belief.

There he was. There, in front of her.

 _Her brother._

"Utau." His deep voice rang out. "…Stop it."

Ikuto glared at her with a fire she didn't recognize, and she glared back at him with the same expression,

"Utau –" Amu started, voice shaking.

"Don't you _dare_ address me so informally." Utau's sharp tone cut deeply into Amu's heart.

She turned sharply at her brother before the cap in her emotions flew off .

"Why did you come back?! Why couldn't you just stay gone!? Our mother is going to suffer because of you! You risked everything! _Everything!_ All for _her!_ Don't you understand how-"

" _Utau_."

The deep, firm voice of Ikuto was enough to make the tears flow.

Utau glanced at Ikuto's face once more, and spoke no further – she whirled around, and ran as fast as she could out of that cursed black candlelit house, into the thunder and rain.

"No, Utau, wait! Please!"

But Amu's cries went deaf to her ears.

* * *

Amu didn't know what was going on.

All she knew was that Utau was _not_ allowed to get away.

Without thinking, Amu flung herself out the door, overwhelmed by the sudden blackness.

She dove into the darkness, stumbling down the stairs, breath heavy and nerves shot.

Utau's expression scared her – the whole moment scared the _life_ out of her. Amu didn't know what she was doing, but she knew she had to do something. Utau was clearly mad about _something._ She didn't understand. What made Utau stare at her in such hatred? She hadn't seen such a vicious look from her in so long.

Amu ran faster.

She prayed _so_ _hard_ that the blonde idol wouldn't kill her.

Amu burst out in the tumultuous rain. She frantically looked around, but saw no sign of Utau. Then she saw it – a bright flash of blonde in the midst of the sheets of grey rain. She turned, and without thinking, sprinted towards it, feeling the immediate effects of the storm she had just blindly thrown herself into.

Her clothes were drenched in a matter of seconds, and her breathing was labored in the bitter cold. To her sudden horror, a bright yellow taxi pulled up to the sidewalk amidst the deserted streets.

"UTAU!" She screamed above the roar of the rain. " _Wait_!"

But the taxi pulled away too soon.

Amu stopped running, winded, watching the yellow taxi drive away, carrying her best friend – or so she thought once.

Everything was beginning to sink in, like a lump of lead on her back.

 _What… just happened?_

Amu stood in the rain, trembling, arms hanging limp and fingers going numb. She wanted to break down and cry, and nothing was stopping her – until she heard a voice behind her.

"Amu."

She felt a sudden surge of blood through her veins, and a spurt of anger suddenly shot directly to her throat. She clenched her numb fist. Every poise left in her broke loose when she unleashed her voice into the storm.

"What, Ikuto? What? Is there something you want to say? Something _more_ you'd like to do to ruin my life?"

Amu whirled around, and glared venomously in the general direction of the vague silhouette standing beneath the awning of the sidewalk's edge.

"Did you see that, Ikuto? That was your sister - _goddammit_ , your _sister_!"

Her thoughts began running wild, and her speech became incoherent.

"I'm so… t-tired! Everything's just been a living hell in my life for s-so long, and then you c-came along and I..." She placed her head in her hands, and her breathing faltered. "I just can't k-keep doing this, I just can't keep living to be let down… I c-can't… I'm so, so t-t-tired…"

Her powerful scream had died down to a quiet, shaking whisper. She could barely hear herself above the torrential downpour, but she knew that she was faltering. She didn't care. She kept rambling, on and on, pouring out every sorrow, every detail, every crease and every crevice of her devastated life.

Her voice cracked and shook; and for the second time, tears began pouring down her cheeks.

Ikuto walked toward her, into the cold, pouring rain, and slowly wrapped his arms around her body, ignoring her persistent recoils and violent shivering. Amu felt his warmth envelop her body, and once again, she felt the overwhelming fear of falling for his touch –

But she didn't move. It was too late.

She had fallen already.

Her body fell limp in his embrace, numb to the core, frozen to the bone. He placed a gentle hand on the back of her soaked hair, and she finally buried her face into his chest, sobbing quietly. She shivered beneath his touch, as he moved his arm around her waist, holding her closely against his chest.

He was so…

 _Warm_.

A loud crack of thunder made her jump in his arms, but he only held her tighter. He stroked her hair gently, cradling her in his arms, whispering in her ear gently. She closed her eyes.

In his embrace, she felt safe from the storm.

 _Every goddamn terrifying storm._

* * *

 **A/N: So some of you may be mad at me for making Utau go all vicious but dont worry! Things will be settled in the next chapter and there might be a little _special_ *hint*hint*moment between Ikuto and Amu. hehe. OH, and for those who didnt know, I officially posted my newwst one shot "Gone"! If you want to check it out, please do! Okay then, see you all in the next chapter!**

 **Yours Truly,**

 **SilverSpark101**


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: HALO. Hee hee. This chapter is a happy and sad chapter at the same time. I hate it and love it. Mixed emotions drives me nuts. Buuut, it gets wayy more intense in this one so please read and review if ya want. ;)**

 **Disclaimer: SilverSpark101 does not own Shugo Chara or any of the characters.**

 **Chapter 11: _Needs_**

* * *

 _"Sometimes, all a person needs is a hand to hold and a heart to understand._

 _But when they do have them, they crave more until they end up losing everything."_

* * *

"Thank you." Amu's whisper came out dry and hoarse. Fragile and quivering.

However, it caught Ikuto's attention. He looked up, and stared at Amu's lifeless figure on the couch. Her strawberry pink hair was still damp and curled. Her strawberry pink lips were pressed together tightly, quivering with her jaw. Her honey-golden eyes were emotionless – fearful at most. Her dainty figure was wrapped in a heavy quilt, curled up on the black couch. She remained stoic, void of expression.

That was exactly how she had been for the past twenty minutes.

Ikuto had begun to wonder if she had been frozen in that permanent mold. But her small, hoarse whisper gave him some consolation.

Ikuto said nothing in response – only walked into the kitchen, picked up the steaming tea kettle from the stove, and poured it into a large mug. He placed a tea bag into the water, immediately dispersing swirls of flavor into the steaming clear liquid.

He walked into the living room, and brought the mug to Amu's lifeless figure on the couch. Her glazed stare was broken when she looked up at him, seemingly bewildered at the cup in his hand.

"No sugar," he said lowly, reassuringly.

And for some odd reason, those simple words reassured Amu completely.

She lifted her arms slowly, returning the blood flow to her poor frozen limbs. She wrapped her hands around the mug, and felt the warmth spread through her hands like a wonderfully warm, bittersweet remedy. She felt the brush of Ikuto's fingertip as she gingerly pulled the mug from his hands, and felt an extra touch of warmth as she brought the steaming dark liquid to her lips.

She took a small, dainty sip.

Immediately, her limp body was brought back to life.

Amu suddenly became very overwhelmingly aware that one of her best friends had just threatened her, and ran away without explanation. She also suddenly became aware that Ikuto was staring directly at her, from his standpoint by the window in her dimly lit apartment.

His navy blue, midnight eyes locked with hers tightly, unrelentingly. Amu felt a courage swell up inside her that she'd never felt before.

Built up anger, frustration, fear, aggravation…

Built up desire, attraction, passion, love…

Blend her colorful palette of emotions together, and what did she have?

"What are you… _doing_ here?"

…An outburst of outrageous proportions.

"What… in the world… are you still doing here, Ikuto?"

Her voice was low and quiet, for her courage was quickly dwindling – every second that she suffered beneath his intense stare. Finally, she couldn't take it anymore. She looked down, and stared at the mug of tea in her quivering hands.

She breathed in, and held her breath.

 _You have to let it go, Amu._

 _It's time to let go._

"There's nothing for you here," she said quietly.

Ikuto remained silent, testing Amu's nerves. Her sanity was treading on thin ice, and if Ikuto didn't speak soon, Amu was sure to break. He stared at the skies of grey outside her window.

"I have my reasons." He said lowly, bluntly.

" _Reasons_?" Amu questioned, slightly angered. She set down her mug of tea on the table, and looked up at Ikuto. "What _reasons_ , Ikuto? Why are you hiding from those people?"

Amu felt a cold shiver run through her body, and wrapped the blanket around her tighter. The silence of the room was more than she could take. Ikuto remained stoic, emotionless, staring at the grey skies. Amu clenched her fists.

"Of course, I don't expect an answer when I ask you a question, because you never give answers. I'll go on living with more questions than answers –"

"Those men tried to kill you, Amu."

Amu froze in place, and caught her tongue. She held her breath, staring at Ikuto in astonishment.

That night had been removed from her mind completely. Temporarily, every thought and memory of that fateful night had been forgotten, and Amu thought of nothing more than Ikuto's ignorance of her emotions.

"I… I-I… how… how do you know th-that?"

Ikuto looked down, finally, and remained emotionless. He said nothing – only gave Amu the most fervent, communicative, passionate look that she had ever received.

Amu felt like a fool. Furthermore, she felt frightened; she felt _hunted_. Ikuto had saved her life that night – now, he was trying to keep it safe. He was protecting her.

 _But_ …

No matter how hard she tried, Amu could not forget the look on Utau's face when she came barging into her house.

She looked pained – distraught. Hurt. Amu could not excuse that. She breathed in once more, and held the drawn-in breath.

 _You've got to let go, Amu._

 _You have to let him go._

"That's no reason for you to stay here," Amu found herself saying. "I don't need a bodyguard, Ikuto, I'm perfectly capable of protecting myself."

She was surprised at the reluctance she found in her low, soft tone.

 _Why is letting go so hard to do?_

"There are people out there who need you. For God's sake, you can't just take a break and lay low from your own _life_. Your family needs you – _Utau_ needs you."

Amu took a deep breath, convinced that she had struck a nerve somehow, despite the emotionless expression on Ikuto's face.

She refused, however, to believe that her own nerves had been struck by _his_ words.

"Did you see the look on her face…?" She whispered, voice quivering.

"She can live without me."

"She's your _sister_ , Ikuto! She's your goddamn _sister!"_

Amu stopped, surprised at how drastically her tone had risen. She sucked in a breath, and shrunk back into her warm quilt. Her voice deepened, and she let out a hesitant whisper –

"She needs you more than I do."

There. _Finally_.

She had done her deed, she had let it out – now, it was time to suffer the consequences…

 _For Utau's sake._

Amu heard complete silence. The rain had finally stopped, at least temporarily, and an occasionally growl of thunder erupted across the city. The dim, candlelit apartment was silent – dead silent. Not a breath was drawn, not a breath released.

Amu waited.

At any moment, she expected to hear the sound of footsteps, and the slamming of the front door. The footsteps came, and Amu felt her heart sink deep into her chest –

If she had needed Ikuto at anytime, it was right here, right now.

But she couldn't. His sister needed him. _You can't have him, Amu._

 _He is not yours to hold._

Suddenly, Amu felt a cold, icy touch of flesh against her cheek. She looked up, only to be frozen completely in the glassy, midnight blue eyes staring directly into her soul.

Her breath was lost. His touch was electrifying against her cheek, and his lips nearly brushed hers, sending the tingling sensation all over her body. Her sunken heart had risen to her throat, beating madly. His luminous skin was less than inches from her face, glistening and shimmering in the candlelight – she felt an overpowering urge to touch it.

That was when she came to her senses.

"Ikuto –"

She tried to pull away, but he captured her cheek in his other hand, colder than ice.

"Say it again."

His low, melodious voice resounded through her ears, pulsating through her brain, causing her to tremble in the fingers.

She could hardly utter a sound.

"S-say w-what again…?"

"Say it to my face."

He moved his face closer, just when Amu had thought it impossible. His warm breath hovered over her quivering lips, arousing every dead nerve in her body. Her entire body shivered uncontrollably.

Everything within her was fighting – a war raged on inside her head and her heart.

 _Go on, Amu – say it to his face._

She closed her eyes, breathing heavily and quietly, trying to slow down her rapid-moving thoughts.

Her trembling lips touched his, and she inhaled a sharp breath.

"S-she… Utau n-needs… I d-don't…"

She choked on her voice.

She could not speak any further.

She lifted her quivering hand, and hesitantly touched his soft, silky, luminous face.

 _I need you… desperately._

She felt a cold finger touch her chin, and she shivered blissfully.

She breathed gently –

"...I need you."

\- and leaned forward slowly.

Softly, ever-so-softly, her cold, quivering lips kissed his.

The kiss was not a slow and thoughtful touch.

No, it was more than that.

A desperate cry for help and attention; years of frustration and tears all pouring out in that moment.

All the pain, the torture, the suffering, the cries.

All of it.

 _Everything._

Ikuto deepened the kiss and began snaking his hands around her waist as they started moving backwards. Amu's back hit the wall and she gasped.

Suddenly, a vivid image flashed through Amu's mind.

 _Blood. Gunshots._

She abruptly pulled herself back from him.

They stared at each other with mixed emotions.

Dark, midnight blue. Innocent, honey golden. Solemn, deep remorse. Wide, fearful shock.

And without another thought, Amu stood up, quivering, and ran into her room, slamming the door shut.

She fell upon the door, and slid down, shaking and quivering like never before. Her chest felt heavy. Her breath was shaking. Her eyes stung with unshed tears.

The darkness was swallowing her whole.

She buried her face in her quivering hands.

* * *

A knock came at Sou's office door.

"Come in," he muttered, toying with his pen.

He was slightly surprised to see a petite, electric-blonde woman walk in slowly, taking her time to walk toward his desk with a strange, seductive stride.

"I didn't know devil-women knocked, Misaki." Sou kicked his legs up on his desk, and placed his hands behind his head. "Try busting down the door next time; it's much more entertaining."

The lean, dainty woman placed her manicured hands gently on Sou's desk, twirling circles in the black metal.

"I didn't come here to bicker, Nakamura. I came to…" she paused, and flicked her gaze up at him, smirking. "…negotiate."

Misaki walked slowly around his desk, hips swaying from side to side, keeping him entranced.

"Nakamura, I'm not blind. I, too, have keen senses, and I have noticed that you are far from happy here. I'm here to help."

She leaned against the side of his desk, and pushed her chest out slightly, bearing all the cleavage she had; she flipped her long blonde hair behind her shoulder. She spoke lowly and seductively.

"I have _everything_ _you_ _want_. I have position and purpose, and I can give it all to you… for a small, minimal price."

Sou simply sat there, emotionless, leaning back in his chair. Misaki seized the opportunity of his dazed state, and leaned over the desk.

She smirked deviously. She had him _hypnotized_.

Why, oh, why was this job so easy for her?

"I need to know something, _Sou_ ," she whispered lowly, purposefully keeping him spellbound. "That Tsukiyomi boy, that dumb lost kitty we're looking for. I need… to find out… w _here he is_."

She moved closer to him, and a few strands of long blonde hair fell against his chest. She placed her dainty hand on his leg.

"Can you help me, Nakamura?" She pleaded, smirking. "Because I have a very good idea where he is, I just can't be sure… I don't want to just jump to conclusions; that would be _naughty_."

She drew circles along his thigh with her long, manicured fingernail, traveling up, up, up.

"What do you say? Hm?"

Sou smirked briefly, looking up at the woman now sitting on his lap.

"Get real. You really think I'm gonna fall for your games? You're not as sexy as you think, Misaki."

Faster than lightning, Misaki's venomous eyes stung into Sou's soul. She stood up, slapped him hard, and put a hand to her ear.

"Bring it in," she snapped into the Bluetooth device.

In the blink of an eye, the door burst open, and a tall bodyguard in a black suit walked in slowly, dragging something on the ground –

Sou's stomach wrenched in a knot.

"What are you doing…?"

"Does this strike a _nerve_ , Nakamura?" Misaki snapped, like a poisonous viper.

On the floor, groaning in writhing pain, clutched by her fraying grey hair, an old woman looked up at Sou with tears pouring down her wrinkled face.

"I'm so sorry, Sou..." she cried.

Sou clenched his fists.

"Let her _go_ –!" He leapt over his desk, and charged toward the black-suited bodyguard.

A loud click resounded through the room, and a black shiny object glinted in the dim light, beside the old woman's head. Sou froze. The old woman sobbed. Misaki smirked.

"Oh, how strong are the bonds between mother and son…" She laughed cynically, and immediately grew serious again. "How freaking _cute_."

Misaki twirled the black, shiny handgun in her dainty, manicured hands, pacing around the room, boring holes into Sou with her venomous yellow eyes.

"I knew you two were related – but mother and son?" She snickered wickedly. "You make it all too easy for me, Nakamura."

"Sou, my baby, I'm so sorry –"

"Shut up," Misaki snapped.

Misaki abruptly slapped the old woman in the face, silencing her immediately.

Sou clenched his fists tightly, digging his nails into his skin. His eyes were filled with hatred toward the wretched woman. Misaki directed her glare to Sou, wiping the sadistic smirk off her face, holding the gun in her hand.

"Tell me where Tsukiyomi Ikuto is."

"My mother had nothing to do with –"

"TELL ME." She moved the gun directly to his mother's temple.

Izumi Nakamura raised her head, face red and swollen, tears pouring down her face.

"Don't tell them anything –"

Misaki suddenly raised the gun into the air, bringing the heel down upon the old woman's head, striking her to the ground.

"Shutup, old hag."

Sou growled angrily, shooting forward with anger and adrenaline pumping through his veins.

"You WITCH –"

"Idiot."

 _Bang_.

Sou dropped to the ground with a loud cry.

His hands were immediately bound. His chest was kicked swiftly, knocking the breath out of his lungs. His leg was numb, dripping with red blood, staining the white carpet.

"Take him to the basement," came a muted male voice from somewhere in the room. "Get it out of him. I don't care how, just _make_ _him_ _talk_."

His vision was blurred, and he could not hear his own voice as he screamed.

"Mother… Mother, NO!"

"I love you, Sou…"

" _NO!_ "

 _Bang._

* * *

 _BEEP-BEEP-BEEP-BEEP-BEEP –_

"AAHH!"

Amu's eyes flew open; she flailed her arms into the air, and felt the substance beneath her decreasing. She clung desperately to her comforter – but to no avail.

She landed, butt-first, on the hard-wood floor with a dull _thud_. She groaned, and slammed her fist on her bedside table, silencing the stupid alarm clock. She groaned once again, sprawling herself on her back against the freezing hard-wood floor.

 _Damn alarm clock._

 _Well, at least the power's back on._

She couldn't believe it. She'd actually fallen off the bed. _Moron_.

Amu sat up, and sighed heavily. She ran a hand through her hair. She curled her up her head into her knees, and only then did she realize she was still in the clothes she'd been wearing the night before. She breathed in heavily, only to realize that she couldn't breathe – through her stuffy, clogged nose, at least. She opened her eyes, only to realize that her head was pulsating with a feverish migraine that split through her ears painfully.

 _Great. A cold._

Amu clutched the edge of her bed, and slowly stood up. Her knees wobbled, and in an instant, she found herself plopped onto the end of her bed, swaying dizzily.

 _A bad one._

She groaned, placing her forehead in her hands, leaning against her knees.

The fact that she did not get any sleep whatsoever last night did not help her current state. Every time she'd close her eyes, the vivid image of last night would flash through her mind, and her eyes would bolt open once more. She cringed just at the thought.

She kissed him.

She kissed him without thinking. Her emotions had spiraled beyond her control – her head and her heart were at war, and her heart had won.

 _How could you have been so stupid?_

But it wasn't the sole thought of the kiss that bothered her.

It was the fact that…

He kissed her back.

Amu stood up, brushing off the faintness in her legs and the heaviness in her head. But no matter what she did, she couldn't avoid the burden plaguing her heart.

She'd enjoyed it.

She'd _relished_ it.

She'd practically _thrown_ herself at him, for God's sake. How could she possibly face him?

Amu rubbed her temples as she walked to her bathroom, ready and willing to burn her skin in taking the hottest shower in the history of man. The steamy shower did not help Amu's headache whatsoever, and her breathing passages were still as stuffy as they had been, if not worse. She blew her nose loudly, and cringed –

She sounded like an elephant.

 _Not_ good.

During the past week, Amu had finally gotten a small job at a local bakery to support her and Ikuto for the time being.

But she sure as hell was not gonna go to work looking like a she-beast.

Amu attempted to pick out half-decent-looking clothes, and wound up with a knee-length, somewhat summery teal strapless dress and a white sweater.

Amu hesitated to do her make-up; her vision was blurred, her arms shook when she held them up, and she did not trust her wobbling, quivering legs to hold her up any longer.

She grabbed a pair of heels – white ones – and stood in front of her closed bedroom door. _._

She breathed in deeply, and squeezed the bridge of her nose.

 _Here goes._

Amu opened her bedroom door, and walked into the kitchen. She saw no sign of Ikuto.

She hurried to tie the small bow on the heels. She was positive, if she even _felt_ Ikuto's presence that morning, her day would be ruined completely.

As Amu finished slipping on her other heel, she straightened, and felt an overwhelming nausea rush to her head. Her headache became nearly overpowering – she could not see straight. Her vision was blurred, and her temples pulsated with the intense pain in her sinuses. The blood was all rushing to her head. She felt a nauseated feeling in her gut, and felt her knees wobble as she finally reached the door. She opened it, and walked out of the house.

 _Amu, what the hell are you doing? You can't go to work like this!_

But she couldn't hear herself think. All she could hear was the blood thumping through her ears.

One last time, the image of her pressing her lips to Ikuto's flashed through her mind, and she lost control.

Her knees buckled, and she collapsed. But instead of the cold, hard lobby floor, she felt a warm, soft embrace.

She didn't have to guess twice who it was. She opened her eyes, and despite the searing pain, looked up, immediately making contact with deep, midnight blue eyes.

Her body froze. Her mind was entering panic-mode.

But even under her heavy congested nose, she could smell his intoxicating cologne. She could feel his smooth, bare chest beneath her tingling fingers – he had just gotten out of the shower.

As abruptly as she'd fallen, she snapped back up again, worsening her splitting headache.

"I-I'm fine, really, I just got a little dizzy…" she muttered, her voice nasally and congested.

She squirmed out of Ikuto's grasp, and he helped her stand up.

Just when she thought she'd regained her balance, the moment she let go of Ikuto's arm, her knees collapsed from beneath her again.

Amu lost consciousness for fleeting moments. She fell into total darkness behind her eyelids. She felt gravity being whisked out from under her, and her body was suddenly parallel to the ground. She felt something holding her up beneath her shoulders and her knees - almost like pillows. It was almost relaxing, in a dizzy, lethargic way. She finally dared to open her eyes.

She saw a lightly tanned blur of color beside her head. She saw her kitchen, at a higher point of view. Her vision began to blur again, and the blood began to thump in her ears again – she leaned her head on the firm, tan wall beside her head.

It was a somewhat soft wall – it was warm, too. Amu heard a _thump_ , _thump_ , _thump_ noise coming from the wall.

She thought it was just the blood pulsating through her ears.

But she was mistaken.

It was coming… from the wall. The wall had a heartbeat. Her senses were coming back to her, little by little.

First, her sense of touch – she felt the wall beside her head was soft, and very, very warm. She felt a strong arm behind her head, and another at her knees.

Then, her sense of smell – an overwhelming, familiar scent overpowered her clogged nose, the scent of strong, hypnotizing cologne and the scent of a cat.

Finally, her sense of sight – she looked up, her vision no longer blurred.

The first thing she came in contact with was those dreaded, horrid, hypnotic, mesmerizing, frightening, emotionless, sparkling, gorgeous, deep midnight blue eyes.

Amu let out an agonizing groan, as she felt her body being released onto her familiar leather couch. She felt a cold hand on her forehead, and only then did she realize how warm her face was.

She opened her eyes, and looked pitifully up at Ikuto's face, just above hers. The sight brought both pain and relief to her rigidly stiff body.

"You're burning up," his low, monotonous voice resonated through her clogged ears.

"Ugh, I'm… I'm fine…" Amu grunted, sitting up on the couch. "I have to g-go to work, Miss Watanabe's gonna kill –"

"Hello, Kyoko Bakery?"

Amu's gaze darted up, and her face grew hot when she saw Ikuto standing above her casually, speaking into _her_ cell phone, giving _her_ the indifferent brush off.

"I-Ikuto –!"

"Yo. This is a friend of Hinamori Amu's; she's not coming in to work today due to a severe case of the flu. …Yep."

"You _idiot_!" She whispered harshly. "It's not severe! It's not even the flu! _Ikuto_!"

Amu sat up abruptly, in an attempt to steal the phone away from him – then, her good friend nausea caught up with her. She immediately sunk back down, groaning loudly and clutching her head.

"…Yeah, I guess. Uhh… nope. Look, she's not coming. …Sure. …Nah. …Nope. …Well, nice talking to y – …no. …Nope, never. See ya."

Ikuto closed the phone, and set it on the table beside the couch. Amu gave him a death glare he would never forget. He simply stared blankly back.

"That chick at your office is really nosy."

"Which one?" Amu asked through gritted teeth.

"Dunno. Hayashi or somethin' like that."

Amu rolled over onto her stomach, and buried her head in her pillow, letting out a frustrated groan.

"Of all days to get the flu… stupid, stupid, cold rain…"

Amu felt a strange, tickling sensation on her foot, and looked down at the other end of the couch – Ikuto was untying and gently removing her white high-heels.

He gave her a blank, yet smug look, and said,

"You don't plan to sleep in heels, do you?"

She gave him a sneer, and stuffed her face into the pillow again. Her face felt increasingly warm, however, as she felt Ikuto's soft, gentle fingers touch her cold feet, tickling them ever-so-softly…

 _Amu, shut up._

Amu heard Ikuto walk into the kitchen, and she vaguely heard the running of the faucet in her muted hearing. She let out a soft sigh, and closed her aching golden eyes.

She found it momentarily difficult to breathe, so she rolled over onto her back. She felt self-conscious, like her body was sweating, so she slipped off her white sweater and laid it on the table – to her chagrin, her body temperature immediately converted to freezing once again.

 _Dumb, stupid freaking flu._

Amu saw a flicker of movement out of the corner of her eye, and watched as Ikuto walked up to her quietly, steaming cup in one hand, washcloth in the other.

He gave her the cup of steaming tea, and she took it, albeit hesitantly. He sat down beside her, on the very edge of the couch, and gently reached for Amu's forehead. She looked at him anxiously, and he looked her directly in the eyes.

Somehow, Amu understood. She read his eyes word-for-word.

And from that moment on, Amu let Ikuto take control completely. He brushed her bangs from her forehead, and placed the steaming, soothing cloth on her forehead to decrease the swelling. He brought her cold medicine, he wrapped her in blankets – he even foretold her requests.

"Ugh, my head feels like it's going to explode… hey, Ikuto, can you –"

Before she could finish her sentence, Ikuto appeared before her with two aspirin and another cup of steaming hot tea. She gave a weak smile.

"Thanks."

From that moment on, the awkward couple spent a semi-tolerable, almost pleasant morning together. Although the long silences were uncomfortable at times, they found it easy to converse with each other. Amu found herself letting out a chuckle every once in a while at Ikuto's dry humor, in spite of herself. It had been a while since she's seen this softer, less sarcastic side of Ikuto. Finally, her eyes began to feel heavy, and her splitting headache eased dramatically when she closed her eyes.

She laid her head back on the pillow, and curled up in the blanket, sighing heavily.

"Ugh, I need sleep…" She moaned.

Ikuto smirked, staring at her sleeping face. Amu felt his gaze behind her eyelids.

"What're you staring at?" She snapped in a nasally voice, opening her eyes to glare at him.

"Your big red nose."

Amu groaned, and pulled the blanket over her head.

"It's not funny," she muttered.

"Who's laughing?"

"You. In your head."

He smirked, and arose from the leather chair he'd been sitting in. Amu watched him as he traversed the room, and brought his father's violin out from its white case. Her stomach began doing flips, and the same lethargic dizziness came back to haunt her. _Was he really going to play for her?_

She watched as he brought the violin to his shoulder, turning his head and resting his long, slender jaw on the end of the chestnut instrument. He slowly stroked the long, slender bow across the strings, and a low, sad sound rang out through the quiet room.

The sound flooded through Amu's muted ears, and seemed to penetrate through the stuffiness and congestion. It serenaded her like the perfect lullaby, tempting her with the sweetness of serene sleep that she hadn't seen in days.

So many memories were held in that instrument – so many memories harmonized with its sad, melancholy tone.

Without thinking, Amu curled up in her blanket and whispered,

"Hey, Ikuto?"

He stopped playing.

"Play something… happy. Something cheerful. Play something… different…"

Her voice trailed off. Her eyes threatened to close as Ikuto brought the instrument to his shoulder once more, and played a soft, blissful, melodious tune that echoed through the small, dim room.

It was so much different than the slow, melancholy tunes that he usually played. He played solemn melodies because he was expressing his inner feelings – chained, tormented, longing to be free.

Now, he played a happy tune with such passion and ease.

 _Have his feelings changed?_

It was the last thought on Amu's mind before the world around her went black, listening to the blissful tune of a soft, cheerful violin.

* * *

 **A/N: OMG. I'm finally done. This chapter has almost 5,000 words. I'm never gonna write this much ever again. So anyways, I hope you enjoyed and please please review if you wanna. Thanks for all the support and reviews so far!**

 **Yours Truly,**

 **SilverSpark101**


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: Look, I know it's been a while but i was reallyy busy so I'll keep this note short so you guys can read. But to be honest this isn't my best chapter so far so I'll warn you.**

 **Disclaimer: SilverSpark101 does not own Shugo Chara or any of the characters.**

 **Chapter 12: _R_ _evelations_**

* * *

 _"The loneliest moment in someone's life is when they are watching their whole world fall apart, and all they can do is stare blankly."_

* * *

"… _This_ is why you called me in the middle of my lunch break?"

Rima glared dully at her friend Yaya, who was bouncing around the sidewalk in her leotard, leggings and ballet slippers, teeth chattering.

"Yeah!" Yaya squealed, grabbing Rima's gloved hands. "Isn't it a great idea?"

"Not when I'm eating."

Yaya giggled, only increasing Rima's livid irritation.

"Oh, c'mon, Rima, it'll be fun! We can bring her some soup and some tea; it'll be like a little hospital visit! I've always wanted to do that, except I was too scared to actually go in the hospital… it's all white and smelly, like old sick people, and all I can think about is needles and those ugly paper dresses and yucky medicine –"

"Yaya." Rima held up her hand.

"S-sorry," Yaya said shyly, shivering. "I'm cold."

"Are you sure she's home?"

Yaya stared obnoxiously at her friend Rima.

"I'm positive! I called her this morning because I felt like we haven't seen each other in such a long time since graduation. She told me she's stuck home cause of her flu and couldn't go to work. What, do you not wanna see her?"

Rima shook her head, giving Yaya a dull glare.

"Look," Yaya whirled around, opening the passenger's door to Rima's silver Eclipse, "do you wanna make Amu feel better or not? The thing she needs the most right now is some girl-time, if you ask me. Don't you wanna help her get better?"

Rima sighed, rolled her eyes, and without further discussion, walked around to the driver's side of her car. Yaya squealed excitedly, and hopped into the sleek, silver car.

"Off we go to Amu's house!" Yaya sang as they sped down the street.

For the next few moments, the two friends were silent. Yaya was busy playing with the radio system, "ooh"-ing and "ah"-ing at the touch screen controls. Rima sped down the slick streets of Seiyo City, and when they finally stopped at a red light, she placed her hands on top of the steering wheel.

"…Yaya," she said quietly.

"Hmm?" Yaya muttered, fixing her light brown hair in the mirror.

"Have you noticed something about Amu recently? Something… different?"

Yaya folded the mirror into the ceiling of the car, and looked at Rima, innocently bewildered.

"Not really, other than the fact she hasn't talked to us in a while," her expression morphed as she was spitting out the answer, "…come to think of it, maybe."

"What did you see?"

"Well," Yaya crossed her long, slender legs, "she was definitely more sociable now. It surprised me – she's usually not that happy."

Rima remained silent. Yaya looked at her carefully.

"Why, Rima? What did _you_ see?"

Rima shook her head.

"She always looks distracted. Like something always on her mind. I even seen traces of guilt."

Yaya placed a dainty, slender finger on her chin, and stroked it thoughtfully.

"Hmm… this is a problem. We can't have our Amu keeping secrets from us."

"Who said she was keeping a secret?" Rima snapped up suddenly.

Yaya looked at Rima obviously.

"It's obvious, isn't it? Avoiding meeting, looking guilty, being distracted… it's written all over her face. I'm good at reading faces – I can just tell."

Rima rolled her eyes. Yaya suddenly pounded a fist into her hand.

"Well, that settles it!"

"Settles what?"

Yaya looked incredulously at Rima.

"We're going to get it out of her, of course."

"What? No!"

"What do you mean, 'no'? Of course we will! We're her friends, after all, we deserve to know."

"We don't need to pry into her business, Yaya!"

"Usually, you'd be the one to pry, Rima."

" _What did you say_ -"

"Rima, the light."

"Wha – ugh," Rima cursed under her breath, and pressed firmly on the gas pedal.

Rima sped through the streets, changing lanes, passing people left and right, swerving and jerking the poor car as if it was a toy. Yaya threw her hands in the air, and let out a "whee", until she was silenced by a sharp glare from Rima.

"It's impossible," Rima muttered, clearly irritated. "Amu would never keep a secret from me."

"Not unless it was something big. Something really, REALLY big. Something 'Desperate Housewives' big."

Yaya gasped, and threw a finger in the air.

"I've got it!" She turned to face Rima. "She's cheating on her husband."

The car swerved abruptly. Rima pounded her forehead onto the steering wheel.

"What the – no! Idiot! She's not even married. _We're 18!"_

Yaya shrugged. "Just a suggestion. I saw it on American TV once."

Rima let out a frustrated sigh, driving as speedily as possible to the crappy street that Amu lived on. She was clearly distraught about Yaya's suggestion.

Amu? Keeping a secret? From her?

Impossible.

"Look, there's a grocery store! If we bring Amu chocolates and 'get-well' gifts, she'd bound to spill the beans," Yaya squealed.

Rima contemplated the thought, and slammed down on the brake pedal, swerving violently into the grocery store parking lot, sending Yaya flying across the small car's interior.

"Alright. A couple cans of soup, a package of herbal tea, maybe a few roses. But that's it."

"Y-yeah…" Yaya sat up dizzily, opening the car door, watching Rima stalk quickly into the grocery store. "I-I'm coming… just gimme a sec…"

Rima walked quickly and lithely into the store, shooting a death glare to all who even attempted to give her a friendly glance.

All hell broke loose when the suggestion was thrown into the air that Amu – her best friend, Amu – was keeping a secret from her.

Impossible.

Absolutely impossible.

 _…Right?_

* * *

Amu opened her eyes to the sound of her cell-phone's ringtone –

"Ugh… shut up."

Britney Spears was _not_ her ideal remedy for her headache.

Amu flung her arm onto the table beside her, and fumbled around until her hand came across a hard, small object, vibrating and tickling her hand. She forced herself to yank her head out of the depths of the cozy leather couch; and regretted it immediately.

Her head swirled with remnants of the excruciating headache she'd been freed of in that blissful sleep she'd just been awoken from. Her nasal passages were clogged completely – her heartbeat pounded against her ribcage, and pulsated through her head. She sighed.

However horrible a state she was in now, she felt much better than she did before. The dizziness had died down, and she could see everything clearly.

She let out a congested moan, and looked at the table beside her.

There, arranged neatly on the table, were several vitamins, a teaspoon of cold medicine, a freshly heated mug of steaming tea. She smiled softly, in spite of herself.

 _He really did care._

"Thinking about something, Amu?"

Amu jolted forward, and her hand sprung to her ear, where a warm breath tickled the sensitive skin. She looked up and glared at the indigo-eyed man hovering directly above her heated, rosy face.

 _Screw it. Screw it all. This guy is sadistic._

She sat up, slowly, ignoring his teasing actions, and running a hand through her disheveled fuchsia hair. She leaned her elbows on her knees, and took time to process the world from this angle.

"Sleep well?"

She smirked slyly.

"Wouldn't you like to know."

She looked back, to see Ikuto smirking at her from the kitchen.

"Touché," he replied.

Amu smirked with him for moments, but immediately fell into a state of sickened depression once more.

 _You're sounding just like him._

Amu let out a heavy sigh, and stood slowly from her comfortable couch. She found it easier to stand, and her senses had cleared considerably from the point she had fainted. She took a few steps, wobbled, and found her footing again. She breathed in deeply. She looked down, to find that she was still in her teal-green dress, that she had planned on wearing to work.

Just the thought made her sick to her stomach again.

Her knees felt wobbly again, and before she knew it, she had sunken into a firm embrace, belonging to none other than her valiant hero in indigo, catlike armor.

"When will you ever just… let me _fall_ , already?" Amu muttered dizzily, without thinking, as he helped her to her feet.

Ikuto smirked slyly, bringing her up to her feet and facing her towards him. He pressed her up against the wall, placed an arm to barricade her between him and the wall, and stooped down to her face.

Amu felt her face heat up as he whispered into her ear,

"When I'm not here to catch you."

His sharp indigo gaze cut through her innocence, and immediately, she felt that same overpowering desire to move closer…

And closer…

To press her lips –

"AMU-CHI! We're coming in!"

Yaya waltzed into Amu's doorframe, turning and singing,

"We know you're a little under-the-weather, so we brought you some soup and some of your favorite –"

She stopped.

Rima came in behind her, slipping off her shoes.

"Yaya, hurry up, it's cold in the outside. Yeah, we brought you some of that raspberry herbal tea you like so much, so I bet you'll feel better in no –"

She stopped as well.

The scenario they were laying eyes upon…

It was too unreal. Everything about it. Everything.

Amu, pressed up against the wall.

A mysterious man, barricading her against the wall.

A mysterious man with indigo hair, deep, midnight eyes, and skin the color of milky moonlight.

Yaya's jaw dropped. Rima's jaw clenched.

Impossible.

 _Impossible,_ _ **impossible**_ _._

No secrets.

"…Impossible."

* * *

"Ts… Tsukiyomi Ikuto?"

Very slowly, a large smile began to curl slowly upon Yaya's cheeks.

Very rapidly, her mood had changed from complete and utter shock to an extraordinary fascination.

"Oh… my… GOSH! TSUKIYOMI!" Yaya squealed.

Amu stood, wide-eyed, completely and utterly dumbfounded. Everything was happening too fast for her congested mind to handle. Before she could blink, the door had swung wide open, and her two friends Yuiki Yaya and Mashiro Rima waltzed in.

Yuiki Yaya.

Mashiro Rima.

Ikuto Tsukiyomi.

 _Not_ a good mix.

Just the thought made Amu nauseated.

"Y-Yaya," she stuttered, using the wall for support, trying to gather her wits. "B-be careful, he's not exactly –"

" _AMU_."

Amu cringed. She turned, and felt an ominous aura emanating from her front door. She could nearly see the livid hatred in Rima's stance – and the way she was crushing a package of Ramen noodles to pieces.

Amu never thought her dainty, petite hands could hold so much power.

"R-Rima, calm down, I can explain everyth –"

"You sure _will_ explain everything." Rima's voice was low and gravelly.

Amu shuddered at the amount of livid hatred contained in Rima's normally soft, autumn eyes. The cynical glare cut sharply through Amu's very soul. She had seen it before one day.

That day had been… bad.

No doubt, today would be no different.

"Rima, you'll think this is all crazy, but he saved my life a couple weeks ago, and I had no choice but to bring him back here, because he was hurt –"

"A COUPLE _WEEKS_ AGO?"

"Well, he was hurt pretty badly, so I had to keep him here –"

"So that you two could smother each other in 'medical assistance'?" Rima snapped. "I've heard enough, Amu – you're ruining your own life. It's no longer my concern. Let's go, Yaya."

Ikuto's face was void of expression, but Amu could see the true pain in his eyes. Yaya looked at Rima with confusion.

"But, I thought we were –"

"You got her secret, right?" Rima snapped, stalking over to her and snatching her by the arm, ignoring her struggle.

"But R-Rima, she didn't do anything wrong…"

And as Rima dragged Yaya to the front door, and as Yaya gave Amu a sympathetic gaze, Amu felt a sudden surge of adrenaline rush through her body, straight to her head. She pushed herself off the wall, and forced her legs to stand.

 _Not again. This is_ _not_ _happening_ _again_ _._

Without further hesitation, she flung her arm out and slammed the door shut, stopping Rima and Yaya dead in their tracks. Amu stepped in front of the door, steadfast and _angry_. She gave Rima a determined glare that she would never forget.

"If you think I'm going to let you walk out that door and leave me here to rot with regret, _forget_ it," she snapped lithely. "I'm sick of people I call 'friends' walking out on me without an explanation. You're going to sit down, and you're going to listen to everything I have to say, and if I get any shape, form, or fashion of an interruption, I'll _tie_ you down if I have to."

Yaya looked at Amu with a dumbfounded fascination. Rima's glare hadn't budged from her doll-like features. Ikuto just stood behind Amu, bewildered at her ability to stand on her own feet, much less let out an angry snap of such magnitude.

Amu was slightly surprised herself.

"Fine."

Rima dragged Yaya by the arm again, this time to the couch, plopping down on it, angrily expectant. Amu took a deep breath before she walked slowly and steadily over to the couch, suppressing the faintness in her head. Ikuto looked at her fleetingly, and seeing the fatigue in her eyes, stepped forward in preparation to catch her. She gave him a dull glare, and shot her eyes over to the door of her bedroom. He understood, and slipped across the living room and into Amu's bedroom.

"I'm gonna… take a nap," he muttered in the threshold of her bedroom.

Rima and Yaya's eyes hadn't left his body once.

When he was finally absent from the room, Yaya burst into a tumultuous overflow of words.

"OHMIGOSH, Amu, when in the world did he get so CUTE? And tall, too; wow, he's like a tower! And his eyes, OH, his eyes are like jewels, they're so sparkly!"

Rima shushed her friend, and looked Amu directly in the eyes, which was difficult for Amu to return when she found the amount of venom in her autumn yellow stare.

"Amu, PLEASE tell me that man is not the same idiot who left you 5 years ago."

"He did not _leave_ me, Rima, he –"

"And now you're defending him!" Rima threw her hands up in the air. "You're in love with him , I know it, I just know it…"

"I am not!" Amu squeaked, her face hot. "I'm simply taking on the task that any ordinary, good-willed citizen would do in these circumstances."

Amu took a deep breath, realizing how much lighter her headache felt, and how her voice was less nasally than before.

Ikuto's care did wonders for her health. Unbelievable. She'd have an easier time defending him, since he was currently on her good side.

"What circumstances are those?" Rima growled. "What did that idiot boy do –"

"Yeah, yeah, tell us!" Yaya chirped.

Amu sighed, and took a deep breath.

She then proceeded to tell the event that she so desperately tried to forget these past few weeks.

When she finished, she breathed heavily, feeling lightheaded again.

 _Too much talking, Amu._

Both Yaya and Rima stared at her with a look of awed fascination. Well, slightly differing variations of fascination – Rima still looked angry, albeit shocked, but Yaya looked like she was ready to burst like a bubble.

"Are you SERIOUS?" Yaya screamed, grabbing Amu's hands and dancing around. "Oh… my… GOSH you are so lucky, Amu! You got saved from death by a tall dark and mysterious man in the shadows that just happened to be the love of your life! How romantic!"

Amu allowed herself to be flung wildly by Yaya's frantic actions, deep in thought.

She'd never thought of it that way. When she put it that way, it sounded a lot better than it usually did when Amu overplayed it in her head.

As she was replaying the sentence again, delighted at how the situation was now sounding to her, she paused.

"Hold on, love of my –"

"He saved your life…?"

Rima sank deeper and deeper into the couch, looking extremely befuddled by this recent news. Her angry brow gradually decreased to one of complete and utter shock. Amu looked at Rima solemnly.

"Yes, Rima. He saved my life. Now do you understand?"

"Yes, yes, of course I understand…" she brushed a strand of hair from her face and tucked it behind her headband. "But… why didn't you tell us?"

Amu sighed, and sat down on the couch beside her. Yaya followed, becoming more solemn.

"I… couldn't. I didn't know what to say, I didn't know what _you_ would say… I didn't want you both to worry, and, and I knew you would disapprove of him staying here, but it's really not all that bad, I mean it is coincidental, but… I just couldn't tell you."

Yaya took Amu by the hands again, and Amu looked at her hesitantly. For the first time in a long time, Yaya looked calm; she smiled at Amu softly.

"I think you did the right thing, Amu." She giggled, "I wouldn't have the guts to tell my friends either! I mean after all, you did fall in love with this guy five years ago. I mean, not that I don't doubt he still loves you, I just don't think you both are capable of… y'know… uhh… of course, you could if you wanted to, I mean… erm…"

Amu's self-esteem was dwindling fast, and Yaya's comment caused it to diminish completely.

"Thanks, Yaya." She said dully.

Rima looked up at Amu, and Amu looked at her hopefully. Finally, Rima broke the silence with a small pout.

"Fine. I suppose I can allow him to stay here momentarily…"

Amu smiled at Rima, and Yaya seized the opportunity while everyone was in a pleasant mood to squeeze Amu tightly and jump up and down. Amu felt the headache coming back to her, and cringed.

"Uh, Yaya…"

"I can't believe he's living in your _house_!"

"Y-Yaya…"

"And he's so _fine_ , too; good grief, Amu, is he taken?"

"…Y…Yayaa…"

"If he's not, I have a cousin that would love to make arrangements!"

The three friends conversed for what seemed like hours, laughing and getting on each other's nerves, as always. A gathering with all three of them was a rare occasion due to their high-demanding jobs; they enjoyed the moment while it lasted. Rima announced that it was past time for her lunch break to end, and had trouble dragging Yaya out the door, but eventually the two did get out of Amu's flat.

As Rima was shoving Yaya out the door, and tossed her the keys to start the heat in Rima's car, she stopped and turned to Amu.

"You do realize what this means, Amu… don't you?" She said gravely.

Amu walked to her door behind Rima, and managed a small smile.

"Look, Rima, if you think I'm falling for him again, rest assured, I'm not. There's no need to worry. I've got it all under control."

Rima's eyes widened.

 _Again?_

She sighed.

 _This is another way of saying you have_ nothing _under control._

"I really don't think keeping him here is a good idea, Amu –"

"Relax, Rima. I'm just tending to his wounds until they heal. I don't plan to fall in love."

 _You never_ _ **plan**_ _to do that._

"…Alright. You know that I love you, and I'm only looking out for you."

"I know. I love you too."

 _Not as much as you love… him._

"See you later, Rima. I'll call you." Amu said, closing the door behind Rima.

Rima sighed, and whispered beneath her breathe,

"Bye, Amu Hinamori."

 _Forever_.

 _Hello, Amu Tsukiyomi._

* * *

 **A/N: Short. Crappy. Stupid. Idiotic. I know that this wasn't really a good chapter but I feel like I had to put something out there and hopefully you guys are not mad. But I promise that next chapter is going to be amazing after not updating for so long. See you soon. :)**

 **Yours Truly,**

 **SilverSpark101**


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: ANND I'm like a month late on this update and I know you guys are mad. Did you guys know that life can be a bitch sometime? I don't have an excuse so hopefully this will make up for it. I made this chapter extra long. :)**

 **Disclaimer: SilverSpark101 does not own Shugo Chara or any of the characters.**

 **Chapter 13: _Run_**

* * *

 _"You've spent your whole life just running and running, trying to catch up with something that has never been there for you._

 _And all you've done is go farther and farther away from the precious love that's been waiting for you all this time."_

* * *

Amu smirked, and placed a hand on her mouth to suppress her giggling.

Ikuto was curled up in her bed, holding his arms beneath his head and this close to sucking on his thumb. His normally solemn, devious face was loosened dramatically in the deepness of his slumber, and the look of innocence on his face was more than Amu could take.

He'd always looked adorable when he slept.

Her memory drifted back to all the times they'd fallen asleep together, when she was curled up in his arms and knew he wouldn't let go. For once, she wasn't ashamed to think such bold thoughts. She didn't attempt to snap herself out of her reverie. She simply stared at Ikuto's sleeping face with a smile.

She drifted out of the room with a light, almost bubbly feeling about her. Her head felt so much lighter than it had – no doubt it was Ikuto's treatment to her cold that had done the trick. She was trapped within her sweetest memories, and enjoyed the feeling of the sweet nostalgia without the regret.

Amu felt... inspired.

The memory was fresh in her mind, and she couldn't force it out. She felt a renewed sense of accomplishment, like she'd just conquered the militia or climbed Mt. Everest. She'd basically done just that – not in so many words, of course – but she felt that telling her friends about a him who'd saved her life and was sleeping in her house was _quite_ an immeasurable feat.

She felt compelled.

She felt driven.

She felt like… painting.

Almost as soon as the thought popped into her head, she made her way to the coat closet in her living room. She opened the door and reached to the highest shelf, feeling her way around because her height did not enable her to see very much.

"Ah-hah!" She muttered under her breath, feeling a wave of excitement.

Amu yanked out a large, white canvas, which she blew on and brushed with her hand.

"Still good." She smirked to herself.

She placed the canvas on the couch, and pulled what seemed like a bundle of sticks out of the corner of the closet. She unfolded it and produced a thin, chestnut-colored wooden easel. She pulled several paintbrushes out of the cabinet, and found some old, used paint in her dresser. She set the easel and the canvas in front of the window, where streams of the setting sun shone through, and pulled up a kitchen stool in front of it.

She took a deep breath, and sat down.

She knew exactly what to paint.

* * *

Ikuto opened his eyes at the scent of paint wafting through his nose.

He cocked an eyebrow, slightly pissed.

He was having the sweetest dream, for once.

He sat up, and dragged his limp body to the edge of the bed, stretching his arms and legs and yawning like a cat. He stood up, and went to Amu's mirror, looking at his reflection.

Same as always.

Lazy, mischievous cat.

Ikuto sighed, rubbing the back of his head, further tangling his silky midnight hair.

 _"I'm just tending to his wounds until they heal. I don't plan to fall in love ever again."_

He walked out of the bedroom, still scratching his head sleepily, when he was stopped by a blinding orange light in the corner of the room.

When he turned his sleepy gaze toward the light, he felt sheer shock hit him full force.

Her bright fuschia hair looked as if it was a part of the sunset, glowing radiantly in the soft orange glow, cascading down her back in soft, silky waves. Her back was arched straight, and her thin, soft, summer-tanned legs were crossed neatly on the small kitchen stool which she sat.

He was _wide_ awake now.

She held the palette in her right hand, and painted with her left, just as he remembered. _She writes with her right, and paints with her left._ From his point of view, he could only imagine the look in her honey golden eyes – her brow creased and taught, and her pupils full of determination, full of wonder, full of… beauty. Her canvas was covered in pencil markings and a few splotches of paint here and there.

But Ikuto wasn't staring at the painting.

He was staring at the breathtaking masterpiece, sitting in the sunset, painting with her left hand.

And for fleeting moments, he lost his sense of discernment. The ongoing voice in his head that told him to restrain was being drowned out by his undying urge to wrap her in his arms.

Before he could do anything rash, he simply smirked, and leaned against the threshold of the bedroom door, watching her carefully.

* * *

Amu sighed, flustered at her inability to capture the image in her mind.

Her painting lacked something – something important.

Amu just didn't know _what_.

She tapped her foot impatiently, chewing on the stick of the paintbrush in her hand, coated with bright green paint. She reached for the bottom corner of the canvas, and swiped a few vibrant streaks of green across the bottom of the painting.

"You missed a spot."

Amu nearly jumped out of her stool at the low voice behind her.

How long had he been standing there?

She smirked, and quickly gathered her wits.

"Really? I fail to see where."

She turned her head only a slight bit, to be met with dark, handsome blue eyes staring directly into hers only inches away. Amu blushed. She should be used to his erotic behavior by now. But she had a feeling she'd never… _ever_ get used to Ikuto.

Ikuto's famous smirk was plastered all over his face, making Amu blush more.

"Right…"

Ikuto slowly and seductively licked the tip of her nose.

"…there."

Then, he stuffed his hands in his pockets and walked away.

Amu… was exploding inwardly.

But her inward feelings had yet to reach her facial expression muscles.

When they finally did, Ikuto was already gone.

"IKUTO, you PERV!"

But despite the irritated feelings toward each other, both had much deeper motives to their sudden displays of emotion. But of course, like it had been and always would be, neither would show it.

They just smiled to themselves.

* * *

 _FWD: Hotori Tadase: just a reminder to everyone, the reunion is only a week away, and we will be needing assistance in setting up in Seiyo's gymnasium. text/call me if you are able to make it._

Amu closed her phone, sighing.

She didn't know what was wrong with Tadase to make a reunion when they literally finished high school like a month ago.

She also didn't know how Ikuto was going to react about it.

She couldn't be caught dead walking in with him that had been missing for almost five years, now could she?

Amu set her phone on the table beside her and opened her book.

She looked up and saw Ikuto walking out of her room, scratching his head sleepily.

 _How much more can this man possibly sleep?_

But despite her slight aggravation built up from earlier, when he'd performed his stunt, Amu couldn't help but notice the fine detail in his muscles. His abdomen was easily a six pack, in the very least, and his broad shoulders and muscular biceps were seemingly more pronounced than before. His ivory skin was lightly tanned, still glistening, and still as perfect as moonlight. His wounds were practically just scars now, tainting his flesh, but making it all the more beautiful in her eyes. His eyes had slight dark circles beneath them, due to the interruption of his heavy slumber, but were still as vividly blue as ever, darker than midnight. His hair was disheveled, but very attractively so, Amu must say.

How did she not notice this sudden handsomeness before?

"Need something?" Amu asked, tearing her gaze away from his muscular form and back to her book.

She heard a soft _thud_ , and noticed a soft, navy blue furry object on her lap. She rolled her eyes, and her face darkened.

"Ikuto." She muttered dully.

He was sprawled out on the couch beside her, resting his head on her lap and falling asleep once more. Amu sighed.

" _Ikuto_."

Once again, she turned her gaze to him. _Mistake_. This time, she _really_ couldn't take her eyes off of his muscular abs, his innocently cute sleeping face, and his luminous skin under the moonlight shining through the window. And the softness of his hair against her thighs… it gave her goose-bumps. Her heartbeat quickened, and the butterflies in her stomach were fluttering madly –

" **Ikuto**."

Amu was beginning to scare herself with the thoughts she'd been having as of late. Something strange was going on in her heart… and she didn't like it.

She heard a low gurgling sound, and immediately, she rolled her eyes.

"If you wanted food, you could've just said something."

Ikuto opened his eyes, and looked up at Amu, who was staring at him dully. She sighed, and raised his head from her lap – albeit reluctantly – stood up, and plopped his head back on the couch with a dull _thud_. She stretched her arms into the air, and placed the book on the coffee table. She made her way to the kitchen, and took out the hot water kettle and two packages of ramen noodles. She sighed. She was beginning to get sick of this crap every night.

"So you don't cook anymore, either."

It was more of a statement than a question. She groaned, and smacked her hand to her head.

"How do you do that?" She questioned incredulously.

He sat up, and she saw his head peer at her from over the couch.

"Do what?"

"Read my freaking mind!" She said flamboyantly. "Scares the hell out of me!"

"So you _do_ want to cook."

"No!" She snapped.

"But you said I read your mind."

"What the – no, you –"

"You were _thinking_ about cooking, then."

"NO! Ugh…"

Amu gave up, threw her hands in the air, and stared with despise at Ikuto's all-too-familiar smirk. He stood up from the couch, and stretched like a cat, before making his way to the kitchen slowly. Amu forced herself not to get trapped in the fantasy world of Ikuto's charming allure.

"Why don't you just do it?"

Amu sighed, and looked at him, blatantly aggitated.

"Do _what_?"

"Cook. Like you used to."

Amu blinked.

She'd gotten very skilled at cooking, thanks to Ikuto. She'd found a unique passion for it, and he was the reason. His memory was what got her through the troubling and frustrating times, the impossible recipes, and that damn egg cracking.

However, Ikuto, the very inspiration himself, had up and left, leaving her broken and damaged. About a month after he'd left, when she thought she'd finally stopped crying, she tried to cook.

Everything about it reminded her of him, and she cried once more.

So, from that moment on, Amu ate out, ate microwaveable food, ate mac 'n cheese, ate ramen noodles – she ate _anything_ to avoid cooking for herself. After about three years, she tried cooking again, when she had shoved Ikuto further out of her mind – she couldn't. She destroyed every egg, she burnt every cookie, and her knowledge of every measuring system just left her mind.

Ikuto really had been her sole reason for doing the things she loved. Now that he was gone, she was incapable of cooking – along with dancing, and painting.

Just the thought caused Amu to sink into a minor state of depression.

 _Like you used to, huh?_

 _Hm. Easier said than done._

"I can't." She muttered, and turned on the water kettle.

As soon as she did, Ikuto reached over and turned it off.

"Yes, you can."

Amu was stunned. And for a split second, when she looked into his eyes, she saw the exact same look that she'd seen so many years ago on that very day she'd first learned how to cook.

Maybe… maybe she could try again.

 _No, it's impossible. You'll only fail, Amu._

 _But… Ikuto's here. He's here again, he came back, and he's watching you – supporting you. You can do it._

And with that, Amu pulled out a pan from her cabinet, and yanked out an old recipe book from her bookshelf. She flipped to a random page.

She looked at the title, and instantly felt the plague of doubt wash over her. The plague of doubt that came to her _every_ _single_ time she would open the recipe book and gaze at the complex recipe ingredients.

She looked at Ikuto with a terrified look on her face.

And as he had done _every_ _single_ time, he simply smirked at her, and she suddenly had all the confidence she needed.

" 'Lamb Chops with Walnut Glaze.' How does that sound?" Amu questioned, suddenly excited about cooking for the first time in several years.

Amu felt arms wrap around her waist, and felt hot breathe blown against her ear as Ikuto whispered,

"Wake me up when it's ready."

Amu remained frozen, even after Ikuto's embrace drifted away from her. She shook off the tingle all over her body, and began to finally… cook.

It was so fun, she lost track of the time. It was already ten o'clock, and the lamb chops had just finished cooking. The whole kitchen smelled amazing – so many savory smells wafted through her nostrils, bringing back every memory she had of cooking. And every step of the way, she walked over to her bedroom and glanced through the open door at Ikuto's sleeping face – she smiled, and went back to her cooking. She was chopping the green onions to decorate the lamb chops with, when she suddenly felt a strong embraced wrap around her waist, and she felt a firm body behind her. She jumped at the voice in her ear.

"Smells good."

Amu unconsciously let out a small, quiet giggle, and finished chopping the onions with Ikuto's arms wrapped around her waist. The feeling was soothing, and his scent was intoxicating, and she could swear that he was falling asleep again, directly against her back.

Finally, she was finished, and she sprinkled the green onions overtop of the lamb chops.

She placed her creations on plates with a sprig of parsley in the center, and placed them on the dining room table. She marveled at her wonderful work. Ikuto stood inches from her face, arms folded, smirking at her.

"Told you so."

She blushed slightly, and reluctantly smiled back.

"Thank you, Ikuto."

And the two of them sat down and ate, smiling and chatting. Amu's mind reeled with happiness that she hadn't known in years. She was ecstatic.

All because of him. Ikuto Tsukiyomi.

* * *

"Tell him that if he wants his money back, he can get it off the bottom of the damn river!"

Hoshina slammed the cell-phone on the table firmly, and the men in his office jumped slightly.

He shot a venomous glare at the three suited men standing erect in front of his desk.

"What do you want?" He spat lowly.

The men were silent for a few moments, afraid of what may happen if they dared inform their livid boss of the bad news. At last, one agent stepped forward, and cleared his throat.

"We… we found no sign of Tsukiyomi Ikuto in East Seiyo, sir."

Hoshina let out a ravenous growl, and sent a stack of papers flying off his desk, slamming against the wall and floating through the air.

"Where _is_ he?"

The old, malicious superior of Easter could _feel_ the fear in his agent's eyes, though hidden behind their dark sunglasses. Hoshina knew he should've chosen more reliable men; in other words, men who could kill without flinching or feeling guilt. He wanted to vaccinate them – make them immune to feeling, witnessing, and inflicting pain.

Hoshina wished he could find a cure to their utter _weakness_.

"You inspected all of his past affiliates' homes." It wasn't a question. It was a demand.

"Yes, sir."

"You inspected them thoroughly."

"Sir, yes, sir."

"Including that pink-haired female?" His teeth gritted together just speaking of the woman.

"Yes, sir. We inspected her house in downtown Seiyo under the instruction and supervision of Nakamura –"

The deep-voice agent stopped talking, and swallowed dryly.

 _Sou Nakamura._

Suddenly, the loud reverberation of fist-on-skin echoed through the dark office room. A man in a black suit stumbled backward.

"Idiot," Hoshina seethed, retracting his fist.

The agent in the black suit that dared speak his mind was now regretting it, his jaw swelling with redness. He stood erect once again, keeping silent.

"Clearly Nakamura was hiding Ikuto from us –" Hoshina stopped inches from his red-cheeked face, and his voice grew guttural and angry; nearly demonic, "what makes you think he wasn't playing another damn trick on you?"

The three men remained silent, feeling ashamedness boiling in the depths of their guts. Hoshina's dark, sinister glare cut sharply through the dark glasses covering their frightened eyes. Abruptly, he turned around and stood at the window covering the wall of his office, overlooking the overcast city.

"Inspect that girl's apartment – thoroughly. Although idiotic, my stepson is not stupid, nor sloppy. He ran to her because he knew he wouldn't be found."

Hoshina's wrinkled face was plastered with a sly, cynical grin.

 _Love has blinded you completely, Tsukiyomi. You have become weak to the world._

"…Fool," he spat.

* * *

"I'm home," Amu sighed, to no one in particular.

She walked in the door, and slipped off her heels onto her doormat. She plopped onto the couch, quietly, so as not to disturb the possibly snoozing feline prince in her bedroom. She rubbed her aching feet.

About now, she would generally slip into comfortable clothing, snuggle on the couch with a bag of chips, some hot tea, and proceed to watch soap operas for the remainder of the (once again) dreary day. But Amu hadn't done so recently – she had a house guest that needed _special_ attention.

She jumped when she felt a tight embrace yank her back against the couch.

 _Speak of the devil._

"Afternoon, _Amu_." His warm breath tickled her ear.

Amu rolled her eyes, and yanked herself out of Ikuto's tight, warm, comfortable, _annoying_ , affectionate, _annoying_ embrace. She tried her hardest to simply brush off the tingle and remain as emotionless as possible as she stood and proceeded to heat the water kettle in the kitchen.

"I see you've been sleeping too long, as usual – it's clearly the evening."

Amu took a glance at the window, and her spirits immediately sank. The rain was pouring down more heavily now, and dark, menacing clouds billowed over the city. Amu cringed.

 _Probably another thunderstorm._

 _Dammit. Not again._

Memories drifted through her mind of the last thunderstorm she'd spent with Ikuto; she cringed again. She prayed to every god out there that nothing so drastically heart-wrenching would happen to her again.

But the other half of her was praying to every god out there that Ikuto would hold her in his strong arms once again.

Along with those bittersweet memories came the plainly bitter memory of the agony and hatred in Hoshina Utau's eyes when she walked in on her and Ikuto.

"Have you heard from your sister?" Amu said quietly, watching the kettle of water begin to quiver with pressure.

"No."

They remained silent. Guilt was sinking deeper and deeper into Amu's heart, straight to the pit of her stomach.

"But I don't blame her," Ikuto said.

Amu turned her head, only to be met with the heavenly, sparkling navy eyes and cunning smirk of Ikuto, mere inches from her face. His voice was low and husky.

"Your water's boiling."

Amu snapped out of her trance instantly, hearing the screaming of the kettle. Flustered, she poured hot water into two mugs, mumbling this and that along the lines of "stupid, idiot, moron" rather incoherently. Ikuto chuckled amusedly at the sight, and flopped back onto the black leather couch lazily. Amu glanced at the couch briefly, grinned, and shook her head with disdain.

As she dipped the teabags into the mugs, Amu heard a rather forceful slam of the front door to the two-floor flat. Ikuto sat up sharply, his eyes sharp and alert. Loud, boisterous footsteps blasted up the stairs to Amu's door.

Within seconds, Ikuto did a somersault off the couch, and locked the door quickly. Amu raised an eyebrow at his quizzical behavior.

"Ikuto, what are –"

"Shut up."

"Excuse me?"

Ikuto put a hand to her lips gently. The look in his deep, midnight eyes was grave, serious; almost… frightened?

"Open up," came a booming voice from the hall, and a deafening pound on her door echoed through her apartment. "Police."

Suddenly it dawned on her. Amu flashed a frightened look at Ikuto.

"Ikuto," she whispered, "they've come; th-they've come f-for you…!"

Ikuto looked around her apartment quickly, pressured by the incessant barking and pounding from the halls.

"Yeah," he said lowly, "but those are no police."

Amu's heart raced. She felt panic and fear threatening to sink into her system, but she forced it out – this was no time for cowardice.

"Ikuto, you've got to hide!" She whispered, looking up at him with fear in her eyes.

Amu could see the visible tenseness in his veins and in his clenched fists. He stood erect for several moments, perfectly still, making no attempt to heed to her plea. She saw fear and panic bleeding through the ordinarily calm blue in his eyes. Amu walked toward him, clutching his arm with her shaking hands.

"Come on, you have to get out of here!"

There was a sharp _slam_ against her door. They were kicking it down. Amu's panic heightened, and she screamed,

"Ikuto, _run_!"

At those words, Ikuto's stiffness snapped. Suddenly, faster than she could comprehend, he slipped his hand into hers, and pulled her behind him. There was no doubt about it.

They would run together.

* * *

 **A/N: Yup. There you have it. Chapter 14 _will_** **be up tomorrow or even sooner. I'm gonna make up for the time loss on the updates so don't worry. Oh, and about my other story, "Broken", I don't think I'm gonna be continuing that one. Even though, I had this whole plot line set up in my head for it, I don't think I'll enjoy it when I write it. Okay, I know that didn't make any sense but it's the best answer I got for those of you who keep asking me if I'm going to update that story. So no, I will not update it, I'm going to be deleting it soon. Hope you guys have an amazing day!**

 **Your's truly,**

 **SilverSpark101**


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: As promised, here is another chapter since I haven't updated in a while. Guy's, I know I don't say this enough so I'm gonna say it now, Thank you so so so so so so so much for all the reviews and support! I couldn't have gotten this far without you guys! Now enough of my sappy notes. This chapter might be really cheesy so don't say i didn't warn you!**

 **Disclaimer: SilverSpark101 does not own Shugo Chara or any of the characters. (Do I really have to repeat this every chapter?)**

 **Chapter 14: _The Never Ending Rain_**

* * *

 _"Rain drops are the most bravest things compared to all of us._

 _They're never afraid of falling."_

* * *

Amu's heart raced.

Ikuto took her by the hand and dragged her quickly into her bedroom, shoving her window open, sending a ferocious blast of thunderstorm air flooding through her bedroom. Amu's ears cringed when a loud _crack_ came from her front door. It would only be a matter of time before the door would be kicked to the floor, and Ikuto and Amu would be left defenseless against several angry and presumably violent men.

"Ikuto, what are you –?"

Ikuto was holding her hand tightly, and holding open the window. He looked at her with urgency and uneasiness in his deep blue eyes. Amu took a step back hesitantly and shook her head, fear overcoming her face.

"No," she whispered.

"We don't have much time, Amu."

"I can't." Her eyes were wide and fearful.

Ikuto glanced in the direction of the front door; another loud _crack_. He looked back at Amu with a tense jaw and grave, determined eyes.

"Please. _Trust_ _me_."

Suddenly, before Amu could blink twice, there came a loud _slam_ from her living room, and the ground she stood on shook violently. Ikuto gave her one last fierce glance, and punched the screen covering her window. Just when she thought he was going to release her hand and jump out the window, leaving her to fend for herself, he instead climbed out the window onto the roof, and pulled Amu with him. Amu was reluctant – but when she heard the men in her house shouting obscenities in threatening voices, she quickly complied.

She held his hand as tightly as she could, and he pulled her with all his strength. The window frame was slippery, and her bare foot slid against it. She swallowed a scream. She felt Ikuto's hand grasp hers tightly, and she regained her balance.

"Keep going."

"Don't let go," she whimpered.

"I won't." Ikuto's voice was low and comforting.

Amu took a deep breath and let herself be pulled up by Ikuto's strong, warm hands. She instantly felt the cold night rain against her cheeks, but didn't stop to shiver. She clutched Ikuto's hand tighter as he quickly led her across the rooftop of her flat.

Her mind was jumbled in the chaos of the moment.

Amu pushed all thoughts and worries aside and forced herself to focus on the task at hand –

 _Run._

Ikuto pulled her by the hand, and they traversed the rooftop; when they reached the beginning of another house, Ikuto jumped and landed across and Amu followed his lead. She couldn't believe it. She was actually jumping across the rooftops of her neighborhood.

"Ikuto," Amu said breathlessly, "where are we going?"

Her voice was quivering almost as violently as her knees. _What is he thinking? And why is he running?_

"Why are those men after you, Ikuto? Why?"

It had never occurred to her before to ask the forbidden question. Ikuto had stayed at her house for a reason; he didn't want to be found by the police, by his stepfather, or by anyone. He was eluding something or someone, and when his cousin Sou had arrived at the house, she assumed it was _not_ just for a friendly visit. Ikuto undoubtedly was hiding.

But why? And from what? Or rather, who? Amu needed answers – _now_.

She stopped running abruptly, and jerked on his arm, immediately feeling a sting of regret for possibly disturbing his scars.

"Ikuto!"

Ikuto stopped, and looked back at Amu. She glared at him with a fury she didn't know that she possessed in her being. The rain sunk into her skin, causing her temper to flare unconsciously. Her eyes sparked with golden fire.

" _Answer_ me!" she screamed.

Her eyes were filled with confusion and hurt. Her stomach suddenly ached, and she suddenly didn't want to run anymore. The rain poured down on them both, chilling her to the bone. She shivered violently, and held Ikuto's hand tighter than ever before. Her expression softened.

"What are you running from?" She whispered.

Ikuto stared into her eyes, with an expression so familiar to her.

They were the same exact eyes she had stared into… the day that he left.

The eyes that had haunted her for the next five years of her life; _tortured_ her with the regret of that day. She couldn't pull away – they looked so helpless, so confused; so vulnerable. His gaze was locked with hers, and for a fleeting moment she felt tears stinging the corners of her eyes.

 _Don't look at me like that…_

Suddenly, a loud banter of angry shouting interrupted their melancholic reverie.

"They're on the roof!"

"Out the window!"

Quick, heavy footsteps pounded behind them, and they both whirled around to find men in black suits climbing out of the very same window that they'd exited from.

If Amu had not felt panic before, she felt it now; full-force, like a punch in the gut.

Suddenly, Ikuto did something that Amu had not expected – he placed his arm at her knees and lifted her in his arms. She felt small in his arms, and faster than she knew possible, he carried her like a feather across the rooftops.

Amu closed her eyes and clung helplessly to Ikuto's chest; it was the only form of safety she found. She tried her hardest to push the replaying image of falling off the rooftop out of her head. The adrenaline in her veins was pumping wildly, and her heartbeat increased with every hurried step Ikuto took across the rooftop. The men were behind them. They were being chased.

"They're gaining on us," Amu whispered breathlessly.

She wasn't even running, and she felt that breath had escaped her lungs. Terror and panic was consuming her. Ikuto said nothing – his jaw was clenched and his facial muscles were taut and firm, but Amu could see the fear in his eyes.

And as Amu stared into Ikuto's eyes at that moment, she felt a feeling that had been lost inside her for five years.

A loud gunshot rang out, bursting through her eardrums; Amu screamed and tucked her head between her elbows, tears springing to the corners of her eyes. That was the fourth time she'd heard a gunshot, and surely the sound was amplified somehow – perhaps a bigger gun – because she felt as if her ears bled.

"Th-they're shooting at us, Ikuto…" Amu whimpered softly, clutching the fabric of Ikuto's shirt tightly.

"Hold on."

Suddenly, Amu felt the gravity beneath her decrease rapidly.

They were falling.

 _Shit._

Amu closed her eyes and ducked her head into Ikuto's chest, letting out a scream. Ikuto's hold of her tightened, and he held her close to him until they landed on the hard cement ground abruptly. Amu opened her eyes and looked around.

He just jumped off a three story building with a girl in his arms, and was standing rigidly; hardly even affected.

Ikuto exhaled a long, weary breath, before immediately dashing out of the alley and onto the sidewalk of the suburbs.

The streets were dark and quiet – only the sound of rain _pitter-pattered_ inside Amu's throbbing head. Ikuto carried her across the street faster than she thought possible and quickly ducked into an alley, obscure and hidden from the viewpoint on the rooftops. The men in black suits were shouting something into the night, probably directed at Ikuto, and then it fell silent.

They heard nothing. No gunshots, no angered voices, no far away footsteps.

Ikuto slid down against the alley wall, holding Amu tightly against his chest. Amu could hear his heart pulsating wildly and his chest heaving with deep, exhausted breaths. She kept her eyes closed, tears at bay; breathing shallow and soft, letting the fear in her system dissipate slowly. The rhythm of his heartbeat lulled her to a calmer state. She still clutched her hand against his chest.

They remained that way for several moments, holding each other silently.

Finally, Ikuto loosened his hold on her, and gently placed his hand over hers, hovering over his chest.

"They must have turned back," he said lowly, sensitive in her ear. "They don't have enough men to track us down at night."

"Are you sure?" Came her quiet, meek reply.

"Yeah." Ikuto stood up slowly with her in his arms, and gently set her down on the ground.

Amu slowly and reluctantly pried herself away from his warm, comforting embrace, and unwillingly removed her hand from his. She suddenly felt the coldness of the light autumn night rain very vividly against her skin; followed by a strange sting of pain that seemed to stab her in the chest; followed by overwhelming numbness. Her mind was blank with the absence of comprehension of what had just taken place.

"So… they found you?" She said softly.

She hardly recognized the voice as her own; it was quiet and emotionless, and muted in her ears, blocked out by the gunshot's sting and the blood thumping loudly in her head.

Ikuto said nothing. He stared into the streets. Amu looked up at him, and found no trace of emotion on his face; he looked as if nothing had happened at all. But when he turned his face toward her, she saw everything he was hiding – in his eyes.

"…Yeah." He replied lowly, sorrow and fear piercing the clear, dark sapphire of his eyes.

Amu was afraid. She no longer thought of the safety of herself – she was not being hunted. She was not being tracked down by angry men with guns. Her stepfather did not own an important undercover corporation that possessed half of Tokyo. She had not been shot twice already trying to save a silly girl. She was not being stalked.

Ikuto was.

Amu was afraid for _him_.

"You have to go," she said suddenly.

Ikuto looked at her with his deep, dark, sparkling midnight eyes, filled with utter… emotion. She didn't know what it was, but before it could draw her in, she turned away. She folded her arms and hugged her body, trying to maintain her shivering from the cold night rain and from sheer fright.

She felt so… cold.

An unmistakable ache presented itself in her stomach, and she felt a lump in her throat. She could hardly breathe. She had planned everything she was about to say; she had rehearsed it in her head over and over again, feeling confident and strong, feeling unconquerable.

But that was before she'd looked into his eyes.

Now, she couldn't escape the fear that sunk into her system. She had no choice but to unleash everything within her all at once, praying that she didn't break down. She had to tell him. For the third and final time, she had to do what was best for him; no matter how she felt in the aftermath.

She took a deep, quivering breath.

"Y-you have to leave, Ikuto. …Now. Those men will _kill_ you."

He turned away from her, which stabbed her like a bullet through the heart. She could no longer see his smoldering indigo eyes; she wanted to avoid them, but she wanted to badly to gaze into them until she went blind.

The silence unnerved her. She couldn't do it.

She took a step back. She hugged her arms tightly; like a straightjacket.

"You have to leave, Ikuto." She looked up at him, tears stinging at her eyes. "You have to _run_."

"I'm not running."

" _Godammit_ , Ikuto!" She lost it. A tear streamed down her cheek. "Now isn't the time to be stubborn! You have to leave the city!"

"Forget it."

" _Ikuto_!"

"I'm _not_ leaving you!" He yelled suddenly.

Amu jumped back. Ikuto's dark cobalt eyes flared and sparked in the dark night, burning holes in her eyes as he glared at her. She had not witnessed such determination in her lifetime.

Suddenly, the tears stopped. Her fear grew into something much more frightening – anger. She took a step forward now, no longer propelled to hold this creature; she wanted to slap him.

"Why _not_?" She snapped icily. "You've done it once already; I fail to see how someone like you can possibly feel guilt doing it a second time."

Ikuto's eyes narrowed. His face became suddenly dark; a shadow overcame his creased brow, and his jaw was clenched so tightly that veins protruded from his neck.

"…What?"

His tone was caustic and sharp. Amu did not back down. She took another step forward and trained her eyes on his chest.

"You never did care, did you? You spent your life not caring about _anything_. You never gave a –"

Then, she erred in the most significant way.

She looked at his eyes.

Immediately, her courage evaporated. Her fuming anger blew away. She felt weak and helpless beneath his tall, strong stature. She fell victim to the vacuum of his eyes; his wounded, vulnerable, hurt eyes.

Another tear streamed down her cheek.

"Why, Ikuto…?" Amu whispered. "Why did you leave?"

 _Don't ask him._

Another tear.

 _It won't stop._

"Why did you leave me alone?" she breathed, her voice brimming with unshed tears.

Ikuto kept silent for a moment. Amu was shaking. She feared the answer that he would give.

"To keep you safe," he said finally, ending her agony. He turned his face away from her. "From people like those."

His words were cold and unfeeling. Amu did not feel satisfied. She did not hear truth in his emotionless tone.

She did not believe him. She _could_ not believe him… not until she saw his eyes.

"Losing you is the _last_ thing that would make me feel safe!" she cried, taking two steps toward him, resisting her unconscious movement to reach out and touch him. She harshly brushed the tears from her cheeks. "You left me _alone_ , Ikuto!"

At those words, Ikuto looked up. He slowly turned his gaze to Amu. He stepped forward, feeling emotion distending in his emotionless heart. He couldn't determine it; therefore, he fooled himself into thinking it was anger.

"You think… you think I _wanted_ to?"

"I didn't know _what_ to think! You left me without a word!"

"I had my reasons," Ikuto said through clenched teeth.

"How do I know that reason wasn't that you _despised_ me?" She fought. "You left me alone to cry, to be reminded of you every damn day of my wretched life – does that sound like love to you? Did you really think I'd just forget?"

"I thought you'd be sensible enough to try," Ikuto said cynically. "Why would you want to remember anyone – …"

Ikuto stopped. He held his tongue.

"Anyone what? Anyone like you?"

"Anyone… that left you." Ikuto's strength was failing him.

"You want to know why? Because I couldn't _forget_ ," Amu spat bitterly. Her own words stung at her heart. "You have that effect on people, Ikuto – you drill into their brain so deep, it's impossible to get you out."

Ikuto stepped forward, aura scathing. His eyes burned with an emotion that Amu could not determine – the only emotion she could decode from his eyes was sadistic, acerbic hatred.

"Then why didn't I just leave before we got too attached, then, Amu?"

His voice sounded unfamiliar – low, sharp, cutting. It struck fear in Amu's heart.

She did not _dare_ let him see that fear.

Amu stepped forward, filling her gaze with a livid stare that was sure not to go unnoticed. She was angered beyond compare. She wished that he would disappear before her eyes – she didn't know how much longer she could stand being forced to gaze into his poisonous indigo eyes. She had never felt such contempt; such _hatred_ for another human being.

And yet still, the tears streamed down her face.

"You should've asked yourself that question _five_ _years_ ago," she snapped bitterly.

"So you're saying that you wish nothing had ever happened?"

"I wish that I'd never fallen in love with a man like _you_!"

Amu's voice cracked as she screamed the last blow to Ikuto's heart.

The rain poured down in light sheets, becoming the only sound to fill the ominous silence. The rain washed away the anger on their faces; it washed away the tenseness in their bodies. The rain caused them to breathe heavily, wearied of screaming and the distress plaguing their minds. The rain sliced through the thick tension in the air, filling the empty recesses of their mind with awareness. The rain covered the tears on her face, making him unaware of her true pain. The rain stung at his cold hands, taunting him with the fact that they were not to be warmed by hers.

Their locked gazes smoldered with a fire, however, that the rain could not extinguish.

Amu could not breathe. She could not control her actions. Quicker than a blink, she stepped back and walked away.

Just as quickly, Ikuto lashed out of his numb state and grabbed her arm. She stopped.

The contact held enough electricity to supply a city. Neither could see each other's expressions – they could not look into each other's eyes. Ikuto held the pink-haired girl's arm gently, hesitantly; his eyes read confusion, as if he was unsure of exactly what he was doing. For the first time in his life, he had truly acted upon impulse, and now he was at a loss. He did not know where to turn. But he knew that if he let her walk away, he'd never, ever forgive himself. _Never_.

Amu did not turn around – she did not dare look back. The tears poured down now, her jaw was clenched, and her throat burned with contained sobs. She'd lost every piece of her dignity but her self-control; she did not allow herself to break down. The guilt of everything she'd let out of her mouth was settling directly in the core of her heart like a black, wretched sin, and she was too stubborn to tell him… she didn't mean it. _Any of it_.

For what seemed like an eternity, time stood still. The two stood erect in their positions for several minutes, remaining silent; Amu did not attempt to wrench out of his grasp, Ikuto did not attempt to make any other movements.

"Amu."

She bit her lip hard. The tears would not stop. Just the way he said her name gave her chills.

"Turn around."

He gently pulled her arm, ever so softly, and she complied reluctantly – she ducked her head low, hiding behind her hair. She did not have the courage to look at him; to show him her utter weakness. With the hand that held her arm, he gently rubbed his thumb over her cold, frozen skin.

And then, he said softly,

"…Say it again."

Amu choked on a sob. The walls of her composure were crumbling. She moved her hand to her arm, resting atop his, and the instant warmth flooded through her system like a bittersweet virus. She slowly began to shake her head, softly, until she finally broke down –

"I can't."

– and crashed into his arms.

Ikuto pulled her into his chest, wrapping her adamantly in his embrace, squeezing her until she could hardly breathe – but Amu didn't care.

She wanted to suffocate.

Amu wrapped her arms around his neck, sifting her fingers through his hair passionately, breaking into loud, tender sobs. She cried into his shoulder, letting out tears of every color and emotion she'd ever felt, and let herself fall victim to the warmth of his embrace. Ikuto wrapped his loving arms around her waist, holding her tight and close, burying his face into her neck. He stroked her hair affectionately, and felt relief as if she'd risen from the dead –

And she had.

Amu felt as if a five year burden had been lifted from her shoulders; she felt free. Free to cry on the shoulder of the man she loved in the pouring rain. Free to speak her mind without regret.

Free to lose every piece of dignity she had left and simply… _live_.

"Y-you told me," she pulled away and looked up at his face, "you t-told me once that y-you wanted me t-to live my life…"

He pressed his forehead against hers and nodded in remembrance. She bit her lip, letting the tears fall freely.

"…But you're the only one that's ever made my life w-worth living."

Tears sprung to his eyes and he said goodbye to the sorrowful life he once knew; he placed a hand under the chin of the beautiful girl before him and kissed her.

Amu's heart soared. Her heart literally felt afloat, and for once it was not sunken with grief and despair – it soared. It twirled and danced inside her, and she felt like a teenager again.

A silly teenager in love.

She kissed him back, locking her arms around him, wishing to never let him go. Ikuto placed his hands on the sides of her face, gently wiping her tears away. The kiss was passionate, yet tame – fervent, yet gentle. Hungry, yet fulfilled.

The kiss was sheer magic.

Ikuto wrapped his arms around her and lifted her off the ground, spinning her gently around. Amu felt so inexplicably warm inside. All thoughts of the grey, dreary rain surrounding them had vanished; neither remembered why they were even in an alley in the first place.

All memories of the strife; the pain; the suffering they'd both endured for so long had washed away. The pieces of Amu's life had finally fit in their rightful place, and even the missing piece had returned. Ikuto's regret had washed away – when he'd left her, he'd made a promise that he'd find her again and make her his own. Five years ago, he thought he'd lost her forever.

He'd finally found her.

And he never intended to let go.

As the two lovers embraced and kissed each other in the pouring rain, feeling nothing but sheer warmth and love. The numbing cold had disappeared like a breath of snow beneath the fire that had just ignited in their kiss. No barriers were present to hold them back, but everything in the world seemed to propel them forward; toward each other.

They held each other for an eternity, making up for the time that was lost.

They both wished to cling to each other forever and a day, as long as time itself lasted –

As long as the never-ending rain that brought them together.

* * *

 **A/N: So was it _too_ cheesy? I feel like this was the most emotional thing i have ever written in my life. Haha :). Anyways, I _preettyyy_ sure that I won't be late updating anymore so don't you people worry about a thing. Good Luck to those who have finals this week!**

 **Your's Truly,**

 **SilverSpark101**


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